New Delhi: Delhi Police on Tuesday, July 21, rejected allegations by the Cockroach Janta Party’s chief spokesperson that security personnel used pellet guns against protesters during the “Chalo Sansad” march, terming the claim “completely false and misleading.”
CJP’s Saurav Das shared a video on his official X handle alleging that police had fired pellet guns at peaceful protesters. The post also carried a video showing a man lying injured in a hospital, claiming he had sustained pellet injuries during the protest.
Responding to the allegation, Delhi Police issued a “Fake News Alert” on its official X account, denying the claim.
“Reports claiming that police forces are using pellet guns against peaceful protesters are completely false and misleading,” the police said. It added that appropriate legal action will be taken against individuals found spreading rumours or misinformation.
Student protesters refused to halt their agitation as they began returning to Jantar Mantar early Tuesday after the CJP called on supporters. Police had removed the stage and tents from the site late Monday following the crackdown.
Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force personnel remain deployed at the protest site, while security has been intensified across the national capital.
08:00 pm: Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar stated that the protest is for the youth and thus Congress will fight till their last breath for them.
His remarks came moments after the Delhi Police “picked up” Opposition leaders who were staging a sit-in protest outside PM Modi’s residence.
07:50 pm: Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Tuesday supported the CJP protest in New Delhi and condemned police action against students protesting the NEET paper leak.
Nasir Khuehami, JKSA national convenor, said that the association extends its unequivocal support to the students and youth participating in the protests.
07:42 pm: Activist Sonam Wangchuk was discharged from the Safdarjung Hospital on Tuesday evening and shifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram for further treatment in compliance with a Delhi High Court order, Safdarjung Hospital authorities said.
The Delhi High Court ordered immediate shifting of Wangchuk, who has been on an indefinite fast since June 28 over alleged examination irregularities, from the Safdarjung Hospital here to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram.
“Sonam Wangchuk has been discharged from VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital today at 06:40 pm and has been handed over to the team of doctors from Medanta Hospital, Gurugram for further medical care as per the order dated 21.07.2026 of Hon’ble High Court of Delhi,” a statement from the Safdarjung Hospital said.
“At the time of discharge, his vital parameters were stable. However, pancytopenia persists, and his serum potassium level was 3.4 mEq/L.
07:34 pm: Visuals from inside the bus in which Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is being taken away after detention show supporters questioning the police.
The people inside the bus can be heard asking the officer where the LoP is being taken away; however, the officer repeatedly says that he cannot disclose any information.
07:10 pm: Cockraoch Janta Party (CJP) chief spokesperson Saurav Das has alleged that after the Delhi Police detained several peaceful protesters, the authorities are now denying lawyers to meet them. He subsequently announced a dharna outside the police headquarters to protest the action.
“The Delhi Police has detained hundreds of peaceful protesters after using brute, borderline-lethal force. Now they are NOT allowing lawyers to meet them and are also not giving us a full list of detainees,” Das wrote on X.
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07:08 pm: The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) on Tuesday condemned the police action against students during the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march in Delhi, calling it a “heartbreaking assault on the very soul of our democracy”, and expressed solidarity with activist Sonam Wangchuk.
In a statement, the apex body of the Catholic Church in India said it was “profoundly anguished” by the lathi-charge and use of tear gas against “peacefully protesting students” during Monday’s march to Parliament.
06:58 pm: Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi along with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav were detained by the police during their protest near PM Modi’s residence.
Several other protesting leaders were also detained and forcibly removed from the protest site.
The action came after the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Jitendra Singh, alleged that the LoP “backtracked” from his earlier demand for a debate and said it does not befit a leader of his stature.
“The government is ready to discuss in Parliament all issues related to NEET and the associated movement… Shri Rahul Gandhi’s behaviour does not align with the principles of democracy,” Singh said in a post on X.
Congress leaders led by Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge sat on a dharna outside Prime Minister Modi’s residence on Tuesday and demanded his resignation over the police action against students protesting on the NEET paper leak issue. The Congress leaders initially began the protest outside the PM’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, before shifting to 10, Rajaji Marg.
06:36 pm: Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal reached the Jantar Mantar protest site on Tuesday, July 21, and expressed solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protesters, claiming that they forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi to yield.
Addressing the supporters, the former Delhi chief minister also assured full legal aid to the protesters who were detained during their ‘Chalo Sansad’ protest on Monday.
“I think not only Dharmendra Pradhan, but PM Modi should also resign. Modi hatao desh bachao (remove Modi, save nation), the entire world saw how you forced Modi to yield before you. Till the time our demands are met, this struggle will continue,” Kejriwal said.
“Do not be afraid. If need be, the biggest lawyers will be deployed for your legal aid. Continue your struggle. We are with you. Modi had also sent me to jail, but now I am released,” Kejriwal told the protesters.
06:36 pm: Kejriwal also visited the Parliament Street police station and reiterated the demands before Delhi Police.
“I am given to understand that a number of FIRs have been registered against the people who were protesting at Jantar Mantar yesterday demanding accountability from Prime Minister Narendra Modi about failures in the education system,” Kejrwal said in his letter to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) New Delhi Sachin Sharma.
Kejriwal demanded that the lists of FIRs and detained protesters be made public immediately so that legal assistance could be provided to those affected.
The former Delhi chief minister also visited the Mandir Marg police station where he met some of the detained protesters and assured them of support.
“Reached Mandir Marg police station. Not 11, but 17 youth have been arrested here. Now 6 are being taken to Parliament police station. After getting 11 released, we will proceed to Parliament police station to get the remaining 6 also released. In the meanwhile, 60 have been released from Ashok Vihar,” Kejriwal said in post on X.
He also lashed out at Union minister JP Nadda over his assertion that a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government and asked that when “our fasting children’s proposals” were known to all, was the government waiting to tear gas and lathi-charge them.
06:35 pm: Protesters sitting at Jantar Mantar had a welcome visitor early Tuesday who came bearing food packets, all paid for.
A video clip, which has since gone viral, showed a delivery partner reaching the site where hundreds stay put amid heavy rain with packets of food ordered and paid for by a Mumbai resident.
Displaying the order details on his mobile phone, the man says the food was ordered by Anuj Rawat from Mumbai, Maharashtra, with instructions to distribute it to anyone hungry.
“Someone named Anuj Rawat from Mumbai, Maharashtra, ordered the food and asked us to distribute it to anyone hungry at Jantar Mantar. The payment has already been made online,” the delivery partner says in the video.
The clip has garnered widespread praise. Several users hailed the Mumbaikar’s solidarity, while others commented that “humanity is not lost.”
06:28 pm: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday expressed solidarity with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who held a dharna outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Kalyan Marg residence in New Delhi, asserting that the party stood with the youth of India.
“The Hope of India, Shri @RahulGandhi, is on protest for the future of India, seeking the resignation of Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah,” Reddy said in a post on X.
He said AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were encouraging and extending full support to the youth who were “protesting across the country”.
“We are with you, youth of India. Congress ka haath, Yuva ke saath,” (The Congress hand is with the youth), Reddy said.
06:18 pm: CJP convenor Abhijeet Dipke slammed Delhi Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Sandeep Lamba over the treatment of student protesters, and for allegedly pulling Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo’s hair during Monday’s protests.
“He is the same officer who climbed on the truck to hit Geetanjali Wangchuk before we all jumped in to save her. Later he grabbed her hair,” Dipke said.
“Sandeep Lamba is not mentally fit to serve in the police,” he added.
05:59 pm: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Tuesday claimed that Abhijeet Dipke, founder of CJP, would contest elections on a Bhim Army ticket in the future, as every mass movement produces political leaders.
This movement, however, still considers Prime Minister Narendra Modi its leader and looks to him for solving its issues, said the MP from Godda in Jharkhand.
“Every movement has produced political leaders. The JP movement produced leaders, including Lalu Prasad Yadav. Arvind Kejriwal also emerged from Anna Hazare’s movement,” Dubey told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
“Abhijeet Dipke may also contest elections in the future. Even in Nepal, those associated with the Gen Z movement eventually joined a political party. Similarly, Abhijeet Dipke will join a political party. I can say with certainty that he will contest elections on a Bhim Army ticket,” he said.
05:40 pm: Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar visited Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday to enquire about the injured protesters.
Dipke shared a video on X, where he is seen explaining to Pawar about the severe injuries sustained by some of the students.
05:36 pm: Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal demanded that the list of police personnel and protesters injured during the march to Parliament be made public and expressed apprehension that students may be turned into accused in FIRs, alleging that this happened during the 2020 Delhi riots as well.
Sibal said children should raise their voice peacefully in every city of the country, so that governments listen to them.
Later, addressing a press conference, Sibal said the victims of the paper leaks are also the victims of the lathi-charge, which is ironic.
“They wanted to have a conversation with the government and what did they get in return, a lathi-charge, injuries they received at the hands of the police. That is what they got in return for their pure emotions and hope that the government would listen to them. And a government that does not listen should not be listened to,” Sibal said.
04:53 pm: Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke questioned the government’s design behind starting talks with his outfit, saying it was engaging in dialogue with CJP while simultaneously carrying out a police crackdown on protesters.
“The government wasted our times. They invited our delegation. They seized their mobiles. Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were, in a way, under house arrest at JP Nadda’s residence,” Dipke said, addressing supporters at Jantar Mantar, where the protest over the NEET paper leaks entered its 32nd day.
“The whole plan was to scatter the team, so that when there is chaos, no one is there. That is why they kept them sitting for five hours and wasted our time. You call for talks on one hand, and unleash batons on students on the other hand,” he alleged.
The Centre has not responded to the allegations.
Dipke also said that activist Sonam Wangchuk had agreed to end his indefinite hunger strike after sustained persuasion by fellow protesters but decided to continue it after witnessing the police crackdown on the “Sansad Chalo” march.
Protesters retained the stage at the site, placing a photograph of Wangchuk alongside a copy of the Constitution, the Ramcharitmanas, a charkha and a small Buddha statue.
04:30 pm: Cockroach Janta Party removed spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya on Tuesday, for his remarks while student activists were on a hunger strike over the last few days.
“We strongly condemn the deeply insensitive actions of our spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya, whose videos surfaced while peaceful protesters and our team were facing brutal police violence,” CJP wrote X.
The Cockroach Janta Party said his comments were “unacceptable,” “show a complete lack of judgement,” and “wholly inconsistent with the values and principles of the movement.”
The controversy erupted after a video circulating on social media showed Dahiya at a fast-food outlet near Jantar Mantar while the police were using force against protesters attempting to march towards Parliament. In the clip, a person is also seen questioning why he (Dahiya) was at the restaurant instead of being with the protesters.
Responding to the criticism, Dahiya posted a video of himself eating a burger and dismissed the controversy.
“Why did I eat a burger? This is a big issue today. So why does anyone eat a burger? He is hungry. He wants to eat a burger. That’s it. So I was also very hungry. And when you eat something good, your mind feels good,” he said.
“What people don’t see is that I haven’t slept for two nights, just like those who are at the protest site. You hold me accountable as if it is my job to be a protester. You haven’t elected me to this position,” Dahiya said in Hindi.
04:24 pm: The All India Students’ Association (AISA) alleged that the Delhi Police used excessive force against students during the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march a day earlier, and demanded action against those responsible.
04:21 pm:From Diljit Dosanjh, Anurag Kashyap to Sonakshi Sinha and Huma Qureshi, many prominent names from the world of showbiz criticised police action against students who marched towards the Parliament to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
While celebrities like Shabana Azmi and Prakash Raj participated in the student march, many voiced their support and concern on social media.
Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh, who is in the US, said what students faced on Monday was “very wrong”.
04:01 pm: Congress MPs, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal, and others, stage a protest at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, the Prime Minister’s residence, demanding his resignation.
After nearly 20 minutes, Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh met Gandhi at the protest site and urged him to end his dharna. The unprecedented scenes unfolded soon after Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the injured students at a hospital here.
Singh was accompanied by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan at the protest site.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Tuesday, July 21, was permitted by the Delhi High Court to be shifted to a private hospital of his choice from Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.
The court had proposed the activist’s shift to Medanta Hospital. Subsequently, it asked the hospital director to form a team of doctors to constantly monitor Wangchuk.
The court order came after Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali J Angmo challenged a previous order that barred him from transferring from Safdarjung Hospital.
The Centre informed the Court at the hearing that it had “no objection” to Wangchuk’s transfer. “The Centre has no objection to shifting Sonam Wangchuk to Medanta Hospital.” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said. However, he asked for Wangchuk to “remain under continuous medical supervision and not be discharged except on the advice of Medanta’s doctors.”
During the hearing, the court interacted with doctors from AIIMS, who are part of the team monitoring Wangchuk at Safdarjung Hospital, as well as the activist’s own doctor, and observed that there was a consensus that he needed monitoring.
“We propose to shift him to Medanta (Hospital),” said the bench, adding that it would pass an order in the post-lunch session.
The activist has entered the 24th day of his indefinite hunger strike on Tuesday.
03:40 pm: National Spokesperson of Trinamool Congress, Saket Gokhale, has asked students, protesters, and others who filmed the protest on Monday to submit their videos to help identify officials involved in the police brutality at Jantar Mantar.
He said he is documenting “video evidence” of the police brutality against protesters so that the officers are met with legal action.
“Me along with some MPs are documenting video evidence of police brutality against peaceful protesters in Delhi yesterday during the Jantar Mantar protest,” he wrote on X. “The purpose is to identify the officials who assaulted protesters, so that legal action can be taken against them.”
Gokhale urged students to send visuals if they filmed even one part of the protest. “Videos where the assaulting officer’s face is clearly visible are especially valuable since it make it easier to file complaints against them and hold them accountable,” said the TMC leader.
03:34 pm: The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) launched a helpline for students in Delhi who were injured or stranded during protests over the alleged paper leak, or require shelter, food, medical care or legal assistance.
Under its ongoing programme ‘Chhatro Ki Gunj’, the IYC said students can seek assistance by calling the helpline numbers 8826970690, 9211452848 and 9827048238, or by reaching out on social media platform X using the hashtag #SOSCKG.
03:30 pm: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi met students admitted at the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital here after being injured in police action during CJP’s Sansad Chalo protest march on Monday.
They also met the mother of an injured young woman protester who is on ventilator support at the RML Hospital, sources said.
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi enquired about the health of the students and wished them a speedy recovery, they said.
In a post on X, the Congress said Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, along with General Secretary (Organisation K) C Venugopal, met the students injured during the “police brutality and lathi charge” in Monday’s youth protest.
“Today, the future of students in the country is being trampled, and lathis are being rained down on those who raise their voices, for which Narendra Modi should apologise. The students’ demand is absolutely clear — the government should take responsibility for the paper leak and Dharmendra Pradhan should resign,” the party said.
03:17 pm: Maharashtra Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday termed the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) massive anti-NEET protest a “nautanki” (drama) and claimed that the widespread anger over exam irregularities was “manufactured”.
Defending Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the senior BJP leader attempted to deflect accountability by demanding a probe into alleged stone-pelting during the party’s march, asking, “…Did any of our ministers leak papers? Did Chandrashekhar Bawankule or Dharmendra Pradhan leak any paper?”
His remarks came a day after Delhi Police and central paramilitary forces used tear gas against thousands of protesters marching toward Parliament on the opening day of the monsoon session.
03:15 pm: Aam Aadmi Party founder Arvind Kejriwal has stated that eleven children have been arrested at Mandir Marg police station and one student is missing. He said the information was received via the helpline number the party launched earlier in the day to provide legal and medical aid to CJP protesters.
“Eleven children have been arrested at Mandir Marg police station. I am heading to Mandir Marg right now to get all these children released,” said Kejriwal. “We have also received a complaint about a missing child, and we are continuously trying to find out about him from the police.”
03:02 pm: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday stated that while many people participating in the Cockroach Janata Party’s agitation had genuine concerns, some elements had infiltrated the demonstration for their own vested interests.
Talking to reporters, Fadnavis said that while staging peaceful protests is a democratic right, violence in the guise of agitation will be met with strict action.
“In a democracy, everyone has the right to protest. If a protest is held peacefully and with due permission, it will be allowed. Such agitations are the democratic right of every citizen,” he told reporters.
He, however, warned against violence and unlawful demonstrations.
Thousands of protesters joined the CJP’s ‘Sansad Chalo’ march against alleged irregularities in NEET and various exams in Delhi on Monday. Security forces resorted to a baton charge near Parliament Street as protesters allegedly tried to breach barricades.
02:22 pm: Targeting the Centre over its crackdown on protesters demanding Pradhan’s resignation, the Shiv Sena (UBT) said the ongoing agitation marks the beginning of a revolution, with “millions of cockroaches” taking a decisive step.
In an editorial published in the party mouthpiece Saamana, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of protecting “corrupt and incompetent” ministers, alleging that he was “committing treason” and ruining the country.
“That is why millions of ‘cockroaches’ are storming Parliament and demanding Modi’s resignation. This is the beginning of a revolution. Millions of cockroaches are taking a step toward revolution,” the editorial said.
01:50 pm: A young woman injured in the police action during the CJP protest here is on ventilator support at the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, sources said on Tuesday.
The woman sustained injuries on Monday.
“A young woman injured in police action during CJP protest is on ventilator in RML,” the sources said without providing further details.
01:44 pm: A social media post by a senior Goa BJP leader on the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest over the NEET exam paper leak sparked outrage on Tuesday, prompting the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party to demand an apology.
BJP leader and former MP Narendra Sawaikar’s post, which featured an illustrated map of India infested with cockroaches and termites, drew sharp rebukes from opposition leaders, who accused the ruling party of branding citizens as anti-national for questioning the government.
“Cockroaches with the termites! Save the nation!” Sawaikar, the vice-president of the BJP’s Goa unit, wrote, posting the image on X.
Reacting to the post, Goa Congress’s working president Sunil Kawthankar said the BJP leader should apologise for the remark within 24 hours.
The BJP must stop branding those who criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the government as “anti-national” or “terrorists”, he told reporters, and asserted that people in a democracy have every right to question the government and its policies.
Kawthankar stated that the BJP was a political party and “not synonymous with the nation”.
01:20 pm: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that officers in plain clothes were assaulting protesters during the protest in Delhi on Monday.
“No one could imagine that post-independence, the government could behave in such a way with people. Hitler had formed his private army, and yesterday we saw many people in plain clothes beating up protesters, just like Hitler,” said Yadav.
He added, “BJP government is unable to pressure its Ministers to resign because it knows that if they are pressured then they will reveal the secrets of this government.”
01:01 pm: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, July 21, demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must apologise to students for the police brutality against them and resign along with Home Minister Amit Shah
Speaking with reporters in Parliament House complex, Gandhi said he met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in the morning along with other MPs and conveyed that the opposition wants to discuss the students’ issue.
“He (Birla) said he will have to ask the government. So, the Speaker is telling us that to debate in Parliament he has to take permission from the government,” Gandhi said.
“The issue is of students and the way people are being beaten up, this is completely ‘unIndian’. Modi ji has not even apologised for what has happened yesterday,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
These students are protesting over the education and testing system, he said.
“The whole country knows that the education system and the testing system is broken and has ceased to exist,” he said.
01:00 pm: Union Health Minister JP Nadda, with whom the CJP delegation met, visited Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia and Lady Hardinge hospitals, where injured protesters were admitted. He met officials to enquire about the condition of the protesters and reviewed the medical facilities being provided to the students.
12:56 pm: While covering Monday’s protests, journalist and content creator Samdish Bhatia claimed that police officers lathicharged him and his team, despite their visible media credentials. A video shared on Samdish’s channel captures the police using force to disperse the crew, even as he repeatedly informed officers of their press status.
Several protesters interviewed at the site alleged that unidentified individuals—who did not appear to be police officers—were also assaulting students.
12:50 pm: Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal hit out at the Central government, saying that its crackdown on protesters was worse than the brutality of the Britishers.
Kejriwal said the party has launched a helpline number — 8588833548 — to provide medical aid to injured protesters and legal assistance to family members of students who were detained.
“The police brutality we saw on young protesters! Even the British did not unleash violence on freedom fighters similar to what the Modi government did to our own children. The videos showed that police kept beating girls and students, and lathi-charging them without any provocation,” Kejriwal said at a press conference.
He compared the scenes to General Dyer’s brutality at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919.
“I want to tell the parents and family members of the protesters: You need not fear, we are with you. Send a message to the helpline number. We will get in touch, and provide legal and medical aid,” Kejriwal said.
The former Delhi chief minister said he could not take part in the protest, but both his children marched with the protesters.
“Modi ji, you are the biggest anti-national in the country. You are calling our students ‘anti-national,’ but you are unable to stop paper leaks,” he added.
12:40 pm: Delhi Police has registered five FIRs so far and is in the process of filing two more in connection with violence, vandalism and other incidents during the “Sansad Chalo” march organised by the CJP.
The cases were registered at Parliament Street, Connaught Place and other police stations, and invoke multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Arms Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, they said.
Although the FIRs was lodged in connection with the violence and stone-pelting near multiple protest sites, videos on social media showed Delhi Police initiating action against peaceful protesters.
12:35 pm: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday, refused to urgently list a petition concerning the city police’s use of “excessive force” against students who took part in the Sansad Chalo protest march on Monday, July 20.
“Don’t drag the court into all this,” a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia told the petitioner.
The bench said the matter will be listed for hearing on Wednesday.
The petitioner mentioned the plea before the bench for an urgent hearing, stating that Delhi Police personnel used “excessive force” on the protesters.
12:09 pm: Actor and comedian Vir Das questioned the silence of live artists over the students’ protest and urged them to extend support, calling their ignorance a “sheer hypocrisy.”
Das shared a note on his Instagram handle and said the individuals who are ignoring such issues later expect the crowd to gather to support them and attend their events. “If you are an Indian live artist, I hope you understand the sheer hypocrisy of not speaking up for the people, and then trying to sell them tickets later,” he wrote.
“You are appearing as a silent viewer to what the Indian crowd cares about, and then expecting an Indian crowd to be loud and vocal and care about you. You do you. Doesn’t work. The concert economy in India is built on young people gathering in support.”
“I get that ‘you’re not political’ which is subtext for ‘I’m comfortable’. I always look at those statements and think, do you buddy…I’d submit to you that this issue isn’t political or partisan anymore. You can support them by platforming what they care about,” he added.
Following the “Chalo Sansad” protest march on, protesters late Monday found refuge and shelter at local mosques and gurdwaras in Central Delhi.
Videos show several exhausted protesters inside the Bangla Sahib Gurdwara, where they rested following the protest march. In another clip, students were seen refreshing, drinking water and resting at a mosque situated right beside the protest site.
11:28 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly said the government took immediate action after the NEET paper leak, calling it a ghor paap (grave sin) at the National Democratic Alliance’s Parliamentary Party meeting.
According to Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who spoke to reporters after the meeting, the PM outlined stringent steps being taken to avoid any future paper leaks. “He stressed the need to punish the guilty and collaboratively establish a foolproof system,” said Rijiju.
However, there has been no official response from the Prime Minister over the CJP protests.
11:27 am: Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi met Speaker Om Birla, along with other Opposition MPs, and demanded a detailed discussion in the Parliament on the NEET paper leaks and the police action during CJP protests at Jantar Mantar.
“Met the Hon’ble Lok Sabha Speaker today along with MPs of the Opposition,” wrote Gandhi on X. “Our demand is simple: Parliament must have a detailed discussion on the brutality unleashed on students yesterday and on the government’s complete lack of accountability for the examination crisis.”
Gandhi said that the students were “beaten” for asking legitimate questions about their future. “If Parliament cannot discuss the future of India’s youth, what is it for? The Opposition will not let this be buried. We will ensure that the students’ voice will be heard on the streets, and in Parliament,” he added.
Lok Sabha, however, saw its second adjournment of the day on Tuesday as persisent sloganeering and protests
11:23 am: When LoP Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of lathi charge and use of tear gas against students during the Parliament Monsoon session of Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, the proceedings were promptly adjourned till 12 pm.
10:30 am: Activist Sonam Wangchuk continued to receive treatment at Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital. In a medical bulletin issued on Tuesday, the hospital said Wangchuk remained under the close supervision of a multidisciplinary team of specialists.
Doctors said his vital parameters were stable, but his blood sugar levels remained low. His serum potassium level was recorded at 3.2 mEq/L, and he continued to show persistent pancytopenia, including anaemia and low white blood cell counts. The hospital said these clinical findings required continued monitoring through serial investigations.
10:25 am: Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal lashed out at Union Minister JP Nadda’s assertion that a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government, and asked that when “our fasting children’s proposals” were known to all, was the government waiting to tear-gas and lathi charge them.
Sibal said on X, “Nadda: ‘for the first time a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government’. How arrogant!”
“Our fasting children’s proposals were known to all. What was the government doing? Watching and waiting to tear-gas and lathi charge them! Shameful!” the Independent Rajya Sabha MP said.
The first dialogue between the government and youth-led CJP came on a day when police cracked down on the protesters by using tear gas and baton charge to prevent them from marching towards Parliament.
09:30 am: CJP convenor Abhijeet Dipke apologised to supporters, particularly women protesters, alleging that male police personnel had assaulted them during Monday’s action.
“I apologise to all our supporters, especially the girls who were brutally beaten by male police officers. We could have done better. I could have done better to protect you from the inhumane actions of the Delhi Police,” Dipke said in a post on X.
He also criticised the Union government and urged injured protesters to contact him directly, saying the movement would continue.
(With inputs from PTI)
This post was last modified on July 21, 2026 10:42 pm