Hours-Long Stand-off Between Police, CJP Protesters at Sansad Marg

A 7-hour stand-off bwtween Delhi police and protesters took place at Sansad Marg on 22 July

(Photo: The Quint)

Students and supporters dancing to Rang De Basanti, children offering flowers to police personnel, well-wishers arriving with food, water and medicines — the junction of Sansad Marg and Tolstoy Road, just outside Delhi's Jantar Mantar, has been almost unrecognisable since 21 July.

What began as the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) protest 33 days ago has now spilled well beyond the designated protest site. Monday's call for a march to Parliament, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, drew thousands onto the streets and transformed key stretches of Central Delhi into the movement's new focal point.

With Delhi Police cordoning off Sansad Marg to manage the growing influx of supporters from across the country, the roads outside Jantar Mantar have effectively become an extension of the protest.

Through the night, reports circulated among protesters and journalists that police could resort to tear gas and a lathi charge at the Sansad Marg–Tolstoy Road junction. In anticipation, dozens positioned themselves at the intersection.

Delhi Police maintained a heavy deployment, with riot control personnel, water cannon vehicles and tear gas units stationed nearby. Protesters, meanwhile, formed a human chain to prevent anyone from crossing the barricades towards the police, while volunteers repeatedly appealed for calm and urged people not to provoke the security forces.

As the hours passed, protesters raised slogans, played patriotic songs over Bluetooth speakers and settled in for a long night.

At 3:00 am, the police personnel repositioned themselves behind the barricades. However, before tensions could spill over, CJP volunteers stepped in, pushed protesters back from the barricades and persuaded the crowd to disperse from the immediate area.

The stand off was followed by a clash between Dephi police and protesters, in which two policemen, including an ACP rank officer, is alleged to be injured.