'Bruised, Not Broken': A Father, Bhagat Singh Fan & A Student at Jantar Mantar

Two days after the police crackdown on protestors gathered for the Parliament March organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), throngs of people continued to participate and spend most of their time at Jantar Mantar. Their spirits have not dampened, rather they say, "whatever fear we had, it's all gone."On the evening of 22 July at Sansad Marg, right outside Jantar Mantar, there were reports of lathi-charge and tear-gas. Since 20 July, some of the protestors were seen erraticaly rushing, causing others to run — out of panic from the lathi-charge they faced on Monday. But there are others like, Sonu, Vijay and Asma, who have not bowed down despite a palpable fear of another round of lathi-charge late night.Carrying his 6-month-old in his arms, Sonu Kumar Gupta from Mayur Vihar Phase 1, Delhi said, "I was beaten black and blue on 20 July, I have 18 marks of lathis all over my body but I'm standing here for children, with my baby in my arms, for their future."'Darr Chala Gaya': PM Modi is Losing His Teflon, No Going Back from HereThe Quint has been covering the Jantar Mantar protests from the ground, follow our coverage on our website and Instagram for more updates.In a video that went viral, Gupta was seen confronting the Rapid Action Force (RAF) during the protest on Monday."The police also filed tear-gas at us and thrashed me twice. Yesterday, I went to the hospital to get an MLC and I got 10 X-Rays done. The doctor also asked how I tolerated the beatings, now the fear has gone," he said.When Anna Hazare movement happened, I was very young and not aware, but today, I am informed. I am a law student. I want to show to my kids that other adults and kids are protesting for them. For one child, the cost on their education will come to Rs 5-10 lakhs, if I do that but there's a paper leak, all of my savings and earnings will be futile. Who will be responsible for it?Sonu Kumar Gupta, ProtestorCJP Protest: 'Morning After Detention, Many Went Straight Back to Jantar Mantar'Gupta also called out the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant over his remarks in the Supreme Court on 22 July. "Don't waste our time, we don't have time to watch videos," is what the CJI said as the bench declined to list the urgent plea, as per LiveLaw."He's our public servant. He is meant to serve the interests of the public. But saying these like 'don't have time to watch videos' is also unconstitutional. He should have resigned the moment he said these lines," said a visibly agitated Gupta.Moreover, he also pointed out that mainstream TV media was showing the student protest in a bad light and twisting the narrative. "Only independent media and those on social media are showing the mirror. It's hurtful because I know what we went through, I did not sleep all night because I was in so much pain."Somewhere in the centre of the protest site at Jantar Mantar sat Vijay Hindustani, dressed in only a dhoti and covered with chains. Bhagat Singh's face tattooed on his chest.A farmer from Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, he arrived in Delhi yesterday to show his solidarity to the protestors after having learnt of the police crackdown of 20 July."It's been over 70 years of Independence for India but this country is still not free. Even the British were better than them. They (police) did not spare our sisters, children, boys or farmers. No one," added Hindustani.He also questioned, "Why are politicians waking up just now? Why are they showing their support now? Because they know that the youth has woken up now. And this youth is revolutionary." He also appealed to the protestors to stick to one singular demand for education so as to not dilute the movement. But Hindustani stated that the anger of the youth transcends the politics of this government. While he demanded the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, he stated that every protestor needs to become more like Bhagat Singh. "Every person has deshbhakti inside them, some express it openly, others suppress it," added Hindustani.Meanwhile, on the road right outside the Jantar Mantar protest site stood Asma, a student from Ghaziabad holding her own placard.She told The Quint, "I came once on 20 July. That day, my brother and I were beaten up, to the point that my elder brother had a bruises on his leg. Tear gas went into his eyes as well. But we have come again. He's helping cleaning the trash here."But we asked as to what brought her back to this protest and amid fears of a police crackdown, why did they come back?Asma replied, "We are not scared anymore. We will risk our lives on the line. How much will they beat? They should just kill us instead of making us suffer so much. I had my MA paper, that was also leaked. My parents, much like many others here, spent so much. We are running pillar to post. If you would have seen the youth employed, would they have been here then?The CJP's protest has now galvanised into a movement much bigger than itself and these voices from the ground confirmed it. Now, it is more about the education system as a whole and its failures while simultaneously being about demanding accountability and resignation of the education minister and PM Modi. And the lathis seemed to have stopped scaring them anymore.

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'Bruised, Not Broken': A Father, Bhagat Singh Fan & A Student at Jantar Mantar

"I was beaten by the police but I'm still standing here with my child fighting for his future," says a father.

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Topics: Jantar Mantar Bhagat Singh Student Protest