Kadhi chawal and solidarity: volunteers flock to Jantar Mantar with fuel and resolve

Jantar Mantar witnessed an outpouring of solidarity on Tuesday as visitors flocked to the historic protest site with food, water and other essential supplies. NGOs and volunteer groups distributed biscuits, pizza, burgers, fruit, juice, water bottles and plates of rajma chawal from makeshift counters throughout the day. Many spoke about donating money to buy provisions and support those who had faced lathi charge and tear-gas shells the previous day.

“Many have shown up despite the police brutality yesterday. We are spending time here to show that we all stand by each other. Many of my brothers have come from different States, so we decided to step in for them,” said Manpreet Singh, whose group had been distributing kadhi chawal and rajma chawal since noon. By 3 p.m., he said he had lost track of the meals they had served. “Many people volunteered to help distribute the food,” he added.