Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Monday evening said he would continue his hunger strike after seeing the “brutality” that protesters faced during the Cockroach Janta Party’s march from Delhi’s Jantar Mantar towards Parliament earlier in the day.

He said his fast would continue until youth leaders are allowed to meet parliamentarians, or till he is permitted to meet them at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital.

“I am touched and moved by how the youth have held on to peace despite provocation,” the activist said in a note from the hospital.

Earlier in the day, the Cockroach Janta Party accused security personnel of firing tear gas shells at protesters marching to Parliament. It alleged that the police resorted to a “brutal lathi-charge” and described its actions as a “black day” for democracy.

The campaign has been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for the alleged mismanagement of competitive examinations.

Here’s more on this and other top updates:

Tear gas shells fired, security beefed up at Parliament

  • The Cockroach Janta Party asked why the police had resorted to “tear gas assault on peaceful protesters”. “Sir Narendra Modi, have you decided we are no longer a democracy?” asked the campaign. “First your government ignored this protest for a month and now when we are peacefully marching your government is attacking us.”
  • Members of the Cockroach Janta Party on Monday met Union minister JP Nadda at his residence in Delhi, amid the protest. Spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka submitted a memorandum to Nadda. Apart from Pradhan’s resignation, Wangchuk’s release from Safdarjung Hospital and a Rs 1 crore compensation for the families of undergraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test aspirants who died by suicide.
  • “The Minister assured us he will discuss this at the appropriate level,” Das said on social media. “However, no commitments have been made so far.” He added that despite Nadda’s assurance that no further crackdown on protesters would take place at Jantar Mantar, there were “no reports yet of police stopping”.
  • Late on Monday evening, Ranka announced that the protest will continue till Pradhan resigns. Ranka and Dipke returned to the protest stage, even as the electricity there was cut off.

Nadda, meanwhile, said that talks with protesters were underway. He said that the talks with the representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party were “cordial”, and urged demonstrators to end their protest.

  • Security forces put in place a multi-tiered security lockdown at Parliament to prevent the protesters from breaching the premises, reported PTI. Fire tenders and emergency water response vehicles were stationed inside the gates.
  • In the morning, as the crowd started swelling at Jantar Mantar, the Rapid Action Police Force lathi-charged several demonstrators who had gathered near the designated protest site on Monday, showed videos posted by ANI.
  • However, the Delhi Police claimed that media reports about “sporadic use of violence” at Jantar Mantar were not accurate. “It is informed that no such incident has taken place and protest is being handled professionally,” the police added.
  • Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party leaders Atishi, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, Azad Samaj Party-Kanshiram chief Chandrashekhar Azad and Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra arrived at the protest site.

Nearby metro stations closed

  • The Delhi Metro stations at Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat and Seva Teerth were closed for several hours because of security reasons, the operator said on Monday. The Janpath and Central Secretariat stations were opened later in the evening.
  • Heavy security had been deployed outside the protest site on Monday morning, PTI reported.
  • The Cockroach Janta Party claimed that several protesters at Jantar Mantar had received messages on their phones about the internet being shut down in the area. “This is wrong,” said the campaign.
  • On Sunday, the police had said no permission has been sought or granted for the Cockroach Janta Party march. It added that orders prohibiting public gatherings are in force in the New Delhi district.

Wangchuk’s conditions to end fast

  • Earlier on Sunday, Angmo had told reporters that Wangchuk would end his fast on Monday “if political leaders meet him at hospital and assure him that they will raise the issue of education accountability” during Parliament session.
  • Clarifying his stance, Wangchuk stated on social media on Monday that he will end his hunger strike if the Union government “takes accountability for the recent failures in the education system”.
  • The activist’s second condition to break his fast was that leaders from political parties assure the Cockroach Janta Party, once they reach the Parliament as part of their march, that the grievances will be raised in the House.
  • Wangchuk wrote that if his health “or other factors do not permit this”, then representatives of the parties should meet him at the Safdarjung Hospital, where he said his freedom of speech, movement and communication were “being restricted”.
  • On Monday, the Cockroach Janta Party stated that it has demanded that Wangchuk be released from the hospital, “where he’s being forcefully held against his will by the government”, so he can also join the march to Parliament. Wangchuk’s wife Angmo will join the march if Wangchuk is not permitted to leave the hospital, said the campaign.
  • Sharing updates about Wangchuk’s health at 10 am on Monday, the Safdarjung Hospital said that the activist was receiving comprehensive medical care and his vital parameters remain stable, reported ANI. “Blood parameters continue to warrant close clinical observation,” read the statement. “He remains under continuous medical management and the close supervision of a multidisciplinary team of experts.”
  • On Monday, Wangchuk wrote a letter to the hospital authorities asking them to allow him to leave the medical facility and join the protest march. In the handwritten letter, addressed to the director of Safdarjung Hospital, Wangchuk said: “This is to state that I am feeling very fine today and my health parameters are also showing as quite normal. Hence, I request you to kindly allow me to leave the hospital, even if temporarily, so that I can join the march” to Parliament.

Others end hunger strikes

  • Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike as part of the protest since June 28. On Saturday, he was forcibly removed from Jantar Mantar and taken to hospital by the police.
  • Three members of the All India Students’ Association – Neha Bora, Manish Kumar and Aameen Amitosh – who had continued their hunger strike at Jantar Mantar even after Wangchuk was forcibly taken to hospital, ended their fast on Monday after 23 days. They ended their hunger strike following appeals from social activists and political leaders.
  • After Wangchuk was removed from the protest site, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke began an indefinite hunger strike. He also ended the fast on Monday.

The authorities are ‘planning something heinous’, alleges Dipke

  • Earlier on Monday, Dipke alleged that the authorities were “planning something heinous where they will allow goons to disrupt the protest and then blame it on the peaceful CJP protesters”.
  • He shared a video, claiming that it was from Jantar Mantar, which showed trucks loaded with stones. “What are the police authorities up to?” he asked on social media. “Are they orchestrating stone-pelting on the peaceful CJP protesters?”

Written by Sneha and Anamika Pathak. Edited by Nachiket Deuskar and Neerad Pandharipande.