'We will march again': CJP to continue Parliament march on Tuesday after day 1 of clashes in Delhi

The Cockroach Janta Party will attempt to march to Parliament again on Tuesday. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke made the announcement late on Monday night from a makeshift stage at Jantar Mantar, the same spot where Delhi Police had removed the protest podium earlier in the day, and where thousands had gathered again by nightfall despite hours of clashes, teargas, and rain.

"We will march again. We are not leaving this protest site," Dipke said, responding to a question from India Today Digital, which visited the protest site after dark to speak to demonstrators and police.

What happened on Monday

Monday was the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament and the first day of the CJP's "Sansad Chalo" march, which drew thousands demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. As protesters pushed toward Parliament, police fired teargas shells, used lathis and batons, and carried out a lathicharge as they faced stone-pelting from sections of the crowd. Delhi Police put the number of personnel injured at over 118. Videos of wounded protesters also circulated online.

Internet services were suspended in and around the protest area and remained disrupted late into the night.

Despite the scale of the clashes, hundreds of CJP supporters returned to Jantar Mantar by nightfall. A tent and makeshift stage were erected to replace the podium that had been removed. At least a thousand protesters and hundreds of police personnel were present at the site when India Today Digital visited.

Asked whether police were ready for a second day of marching, a Sub-Inspector-rank officer said: "The bandobast will remain the same. We will re-erect the barriers."

Talks opened, demands submitted

Amid the street confrontations, the government opened a channel of communication with the CJP. CJP representatives met Union Health Minister JP Nadda twice on Monday. The first meeting took place at around 11:50 am, during which Nadda asked for demands in writing. Representatives returned at 4 pm and submitted a written memorandum outlining three demands.

CJP functionaries at Jantar Mantar told India Today Digital: "The protest will continue until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns. A meeting on the next march is still underway. The party will soon issue an official statement outlining the next course of action."

The wider context

The CJP and educationist-activist Sonam Wangchuk have been camped at Jantar Mantar since June 6. Wangchuk had been on an indefinite hunger strike at the site before being detained and shifted to Safdarjung Hospital. He has since outlined three conditions for ending his fast, including government accountability for examination paper leaks and either a meeting at Parliament or an assurance from MPs at his hospital bedside.

Delhi Police have begun registering FIRs, reviewing CCTV footage and mobile phone videos, and are probing whether the violence was part of a coordinated plan. Monday's clashes were among the most intense street confrontations Delhi has witnessed in years. With Tuesday's march now announced, authorities and protesters are preparing for another day of direct confrontation.