How govt, Delhi Police were caught off guard by Cockroach Party protest
Over the past 15 years, Delhi has witnessed some of the most defining public protests. Be it the 2021 tractor rally, where protesting farmers breached
Over the past 15 years, Delhi has witnessed some of the most defining public protests. Be it the 2021 tractor rally, where protesting farmers breached security at the Red Fort, or the 2012 Nirbhaya agitation, where ordinary citizens reached the doors of Raisina Hill. Like the previous incidents, the Delhi Police seems to have misjudged the scale of Monday's Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest, which turned violent as thousands of youth clashed with police, who were clearly outnumbered, leaving nearly 200 injured. Read Full Story That the 'Sansad Chalo' march, demanding reforms in the education system, would take place on July 20 was known. The CJP agitation was on for over a month. Yet, tens of thousands of protesters were able to reach the doorsteps of Parliament before they were lathi-charged and tear-gassed. Around 60 protesters were injured. The injury count on the police side was double the number (118). There were telltale signs that the police failed to accurately estimate how many protesters would take part in Monday's march. Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party scuffle with police as they attempt to march toward Parliament HOW THE COCKROACH PROTESTS UNFOLDED? The call for the march to Parliament was issued around three weeks ago by the CJP, a satirical movement founded by Abhijeet Dipke. On June 28, activist Sonam Wangchuk started an indefinite hunger strike demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG paper leak fiasco. In the initial weeks, the protest failed to gather any steam. The first sign of government intervention was seen on July 18, when Wangchuk was removed by cops and shifted to Safdarjung Hospital in dramatic early-morning scenes.
However, instead of ending the agitation, it gave the protest a fresh impetus. In fact, hundreds more arrived at the Jantar Mantar protest site in solidarity. By Sunday evening, the numbers swelled from 3,000 to around 5,000. According to a report in The Indian Express, the Delhi Police had intel that the turnout would be around 7,000-8,000. However, on Monday, nearly a lakh protesters gathered on the roads leading to Sansad Marg. Delhi Police said the CJP neither sought permission nor received any nod to hold a march to the Parliament. However, it didn't deter the protesters, who came from all walks of life - students, parents, young professionals. Several were teens, aged between 12 and 17, many of whom said they came to the protest after lying to their families. According to a report in HT, several women protesters and students travelled from nearby states to Delhi in groups or connected with other participants through WhatsApp. While the CJP said their march would be "peaceful", what added to the intrigue was the presence of a truck carrying stones parked near Jantar Mantar. Neither the CJP nor the police claimed to know how it ended up there despite prohibitory orders in place. In a post on X, Dipke posted a video purportedly showing a truck loaded with stones, saying it could be used to falsely implicate peaceful protesters. "What are the police authorities up to? Are they orchestrating stone-pelting on the CJP protesters?" Dipke tweeted. He also alleged that a damaged vehicle had been placed near the protest site.
The BriefWire