The Cockroach Janta Party, over the last one month, has seen the support of hundreds of protesters, leaders, actors coming together to fight for the same cause, which is, the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan following irregularities in the NEET exam. However, 31st day onwards, the protest site is witnessing a new form of support — deliveries of food orders made by people even in different cities, for those who are still at the dharna.
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CJP leaders have said that the protests will continue until their demands are met – which are – resignation of Pradhan, ₹1 crore compensation to families of those who died, and release of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who continues to be on hunger strike.
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Visuals, now viral on social media, show piles of food packets and orders at the Jantar Mantar, being sent by people from across the country.
Videos show delivery partners arriving at the protest site with orders which are already paid for.
Also Read: Lathi charge, internet cut: How CJP’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ March brought Delhi to a standstill
A Zomato delivery partner arrived at the protest site on Monday night, hours after a police crackdown on CJP’s Parliament march, with a packet of food. He shared that the order was placed by a man named Anuj Rawat from Maharashtra, who asked him to give the food to “anyone who is hungry there”.
Another Swiggy delivery partner, who arrived from a restaurant in Greater Kailash in Delhi on Tuesday night, told HT, “Someone named Anil Yadav ordered 25 veg thalis and told me to drop it off near the protest venue. They just wanted to help the students. This is my second order delivery here.”
Supporters also arrived at Jantar Mantar with food. Usman, 23, a resident of Chawdi Bazar, said that he did not join the protest on Monday but videos of the violence on Monday moved him.
“We saw videos of young girls being beaten up. People from our neighborhood asked us to take food along with us. Our way of expressing solidarity,” he added.
Shivam, another supporter from Faridabad, came with his elder brother.
“We have brought food with us. We were protesting peacefully yesterday. The way the government has dealt with children will only fuel more resentment,” he told HT.
Also Read: ‘Lied to family, faced lathis here’: Young women at CJP march recount experience, ‘like cockroaches, we’ll return’
Visuals show different varieties of food laid on a table, including pizzas and burgers. Visuals from the site showed essential medicines and water bottles also being laid out for anyone who’d need them.
A day after the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march of the CJP turned violent and many got injured, hundreds of protesters and supporters arrived at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday to continue extending their support. Following this, the Delhi Police announced that Section 163 is still in place and people should not crowd around the site.
Also Read: Protesters were ‘unruly, aggressive and violent’: Delhi Police on CJP protest
Over 50,000 protesters had taken to the streets on Monday for CJP’s march to the Parliament. However, police forces did not let the protesters leave Jantar Mantar. Heavy security was deployed at the site, including multiple layers of barricades erected on roads leading to Parliament to prevent protesters from marching.
Protests turned violent after a clash between protestors and police forces, which led to lathi charge, tear-gas shelling, leaving many severely injured. A 22-year-old was among those who were injured during the chaos.
Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of CJP, has now ruled out a march to the Parliament, saying that he fears more such attacks on students. He also broke his hunger strike on Monday after 3 days.
