Celebrations continued at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and the neighbouring arterial roads hours after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on Saturday afternoon, even as the protesters were asked to vacate the site. There was no sign of the crowd thinning by around 10PM on Saturday. The protest venue remained packed with people clicking photographs, shooting reels, and raising slogans late into Saturday night.
Event Context
People at the site danced, sang the national anthem, some also wept and jumped, while others chanted slogans. New posters such as “Yuva jaag gya, Pradhaan bhaag gya” (Youth wakes up, Pradhan runs away) had come up after the minister resigned.
Connaught Place, Sansad Marg, Tolstoy Marg became centres of celebrations.
By 10.15PM, police estimated the crowd strength at around 4,000.
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Although the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leadership had left the stage around 6.30PM after urging supporters to disperse, crowds continued to arrive.
Nishi, 29, a volunteer, said, “We will stay till the last person leaves. The place is still overcrowded, and we may be needed.”
By 7PM, police had removed some barricades at entry and exit points to ease movement, even as heavy security deployment remained. CJP spokespersons Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das made announcements over the public address system at Sansad Marg, appealing to people to leave peacefully.
By 8PM, police began making announcements for people to exit. As of 10PM, Sansad Marg, Tolstoy Lane, and the protest site remained packed.
Meanwhile, Ranka and Das met Commissioner of Police Anurag Kumar around 7.30PM and left the area shortly after, even as the crowd lingered. “We have told people, but they are not listening,” said a core CJP team member.
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Volunteers, meanwhile, began cleaning the area and directing people to exit. On Tolstoy Road around 7.30PM, a human chain of volunteers formed a ring around four to five others who were sweeping the roads and collecting garbage in trash bags.
For Chris Sebastian, 26, cleaning up after the protest was as integral as the sloganeering. On Saturday evening, he was among those forming a barrier around the cleaners to give them space. “I have been volunteering for the past few days. We are trying to help and create space for the cleaners amid the huge crowd,” he said.
Aman Singh, 29, another volunteer managing the crowd, explained the process. “Since there are multiple exits, groups like ours have been placed near each exit. Some are cleaning, others form a ring to give them space. We are also handling crowd control to ensure orderly exit till Rajiv Chowk,” he said.
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A senior police officer said security will remain deployed until the crowd dispersed. “We have been asking people to leave the site and are waiting for them to disperse,” the officer said.
Between 7PM and 8PM, people were seen exiting, many still chanting slogans. Large groups gathered on Sansad Marg near Connaught Place and on Tolstoy Road near Gate 2 of Jantar Mantar Metro station. Several auto-rickshaws were stationed at both locations.
Meanwhile, some who had come from other states began preparing to leave. “I came from Mumbai four days ago to show solidarity. I was staying at the gurudwara. I will take the train back on Sunday,” said Praveen, 38.
Team Analysis
“I have been cleaning since 4PM and haven’t got a chance to go inside the main site. I am not an official volunteer, but I saw people cleaning and decided to join. Now that the protest is over, I will stay as long as I can, to help,” said Alshifa Azmi, 24, holding a garbage bag.
