The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which began as a satirical movement, is currently staging protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi alongside students to demand the resignation of the Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, following the NEET (medical admissions exam) paper leak. Citizens and students from every corner of India have also joined the movement.
Event Context
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Amid this, several businesses are stepping forward to show their support for the cause in their own way, especially restaurants in Delhi. Restaurants have been providing free food to students and civilians who are currently staging a protest at Jantar Mantar. Places like Kona and Rosei Ghar are offering free food to people at the protest site.
On July 21, Kona – a sandwich shop in Delhi – reached out to people to connect them with volunteers or credible student groups to provide food to those who need it at Jantar Mantar. On July 22, the restaurant sent 1,000 sandwiches to the protest site, and about 600 on July 23.
HT Lifestyle reached out to Radhika Khandelwal, the owner of Kona, to discuss their initiative of providing food free of charge. “At Kona, we’ve always believed that food is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to show up for people. When we saw thousands of young people gathering peacefully at Jantar Mantar, many having travelled from different parts of India and even overseas, we felt we had to do what we know best- feed them,” she shared with us.
“Over the last three days, we’ve sent around 2,000 sandwiches to the protest site. It’s our small way of helping ensure that people who are standing for something they believe in don’t have to do so on an empty stomach. My love language has always been food…Kona was built for young people. They are the heart of our community, and supporting them in whatever small way we can feels natural to us. We simply hope that everyone remains safe, peaceful and cared for,” she added.
Team Analysis
Blue Tokai co-founder, Matt Chitharanjan, even reshared one of the videos praising the Janpath staff of the coffee house on his Instagram Story and wrote, “So so proud of our team for handling the violence and chaos so well. But also wish that being decent to people wasn’t so rare that it gets celebrated.”
Matt’s response came after a video by Instagram user @sxnchay was circulated online, saying, “I am heading back home from the protest. And we got tear-gassed, we got lathi-charged. A lot of people in front of me, a lot of people I know personally, got manhandled brutally by the police and the RAF.” He added that Blue Tokai’s Janpath outlet “helped the protesters in such a good way”, adding that staff gave shelter to those fleeing the police.
In the comments, student protestors who were also fleeing and seeking shelter shared that Local and Chaayos in CP opened their doors for them whilst they were running after being beaten and tear gassed. A few other protestors confirmed that the SBI branch near Janpath and McDonald’s at CP also helped them.
Match Outlook
A few other eateries like Garnita’s in Lodhi Colony and Dumbo Deli in Meherchand Market and New Friends Colony have reached out to protestors to come and take shelter at their restaurants, and they will be provided with a glass of water, free shelter, and refreshments
Restaurants and businesses are showing up for students not just through food. On July 20, when students sought shelter and were fleeing from police lathi charge and tear gas during the Cockroach Janta Party’s “Chalo Sansad” march, Blue Tokai’s Janpath outlet provided shelter, free water refills, and first aid to students and activists.
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Rosei Ghara, a cloud kitchen based in Delhi, on July 22, reached out to students and volunteers at the site via an Instagram post, offering warm, home-cooked meals at no cost.
