Cinema VinesOn Monday, roughly 50,000 demonstrators converged on the historic Jantar Mantar square in New Delhi, demanding that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign over alleged irregularities in the NEET exam. The protest, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), drew thousands of supporters who marched with flags and some even dressed as cockroaches, a symbolic nod to the party’s name. Police responded with tear gas and lathi charges, attempting to disperse the crowd as they moved toward Parliament.
Actor Huma Qureshi, who witnessed the confrontation, took to Instagram to condemn the use of force against peaceful demonstrators. In her post she wrote, “The visuals from today will stay with me for a very long time. Seeing peaceful protestors being met with such brute forces and lathis left me with a deep sense of sadness. This surely could have been handled with much more patience, more listening and more dialogue.” She added that the government must allow dialogue and that every citizen deserves to be heard with dignity before force is used.
The CJP’s social media accounts reported that despite police brutality, the protestors remained resolute. The party urged Delhi residents to join them at Jantar Mantar, calling it “now or never” and demanding Pradhan’s resignation. In a related development, activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been hospitalized after a hunger strike, announced that he would end his fast on 20 July if the government took accountability for recent failures in the education system, including paper leaks, or if CJP leaders met with MPs at Parliament to discuss the issue.
Police accounts of the day highlighted the use of lathis and tear gas shells to control the march, while CJP supporters maintained that the police response was excessive. The incident has sparked a broader debate about the right to protest and the appropriate use of force by law enforcement in India’s capital.
