March to Parliament will continue today, says CJP's Dipke
The march to Parliament would continue for the second straight day on Tuesday, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke said late on Monday night
The march to Parliament would continue for the second straight day on Tuesday, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke said late on Monday night. Dipke was responding to a question by India Today Digital, which visited the protest sites in and around Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to speak to protesters and police after a day of street confrontations. The CJP protesters had returned to Jantar Mantar and erected a tent and makeshift stage after the earlier podium was reportedly removed by Delhi Police personnel earlier on Monday. Read Full Story Responding to India Today Digital's question on whether the march to Parliament would continue on Tuesday, Dipke said from the stage, "We will march again. We are not leaving this protest site [at Jantar Mantar]." The CJP protesters have been at the protest site at Jantar Mantar since June 6, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Educationist and activist Sonam Wangchuk had been on an indefinite hunger strike there before he was detained and shifted to Safdarjung Hospital. A rain-soaked Dipke stood at the front of a human chain with other party leaders and raised slogans. CJP functionaries at the venue 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 CJP and Wangchuk had given the call for a march to Parliament from Jantar Mantar. Monday was the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament. Thousands participated in the "Sansad Chalo" march seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Police fired teargas shells and had to resort to lathicharge as they faced stone-pelting. Even as videos emerged of protesters wounded in action by cops, Delhi Police put the count of injured personnel at over 118.
Despite the rain and an exhausting day for the protesters, the atmosphere at Jantar Mantar remained charged. At least a thousand protesters and hundreds of police personnel were present at the site. When India Today Digital asked police personnel if they were prepared for another attempt to march to Parliament, a Sub-Inspector-rank officer said, "The bandobast will remain the same. We will re-erect the barriers." India Today TV reported that Delhi Police had begun registering multiple FIRs, examining CCTV footage and mobile phone videos, and probing whether the violence was part of a larger plot. After a day of protests, hundreds of CJP supporters returned to the Jantar Mantar protest site by night. (Image: Anand Singh) As Monday's march turned chaotic close to the Parliament building, security forces used batons, lathis and tear gas to disperse the crowds. Internet services were shut down in parts of the area.
The BriefWire