Saurabh Mukherjee
Tight security arrangements were put in place across central Delhi on Monday (July 20) as multiple protests coincided with the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Authorities imposed restrictions in parts of the national capital after the Cockroach Janata Party announced plans to march towards Parliament, while student groups and civil society activists also intensified their demonstrations over issues related to the education system.
The Delhi Police invoked prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in response to the outfit’s announced protest march.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) also said that “due to security reasons,” Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat and Seva Teerth metro stations would remain closed until further instructions.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday had criticised the Centre over the police action against activist Sonam Wangchuk and Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, accusing the government of suppressing peaceful dissent instead of addressing concerns over the alleged irregularities in the education system.
CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby denounced the Delhi Police's removal of Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar and the detention of Dipke, alleging that the government was targeting protesters while failing to fix systemic issues linked to examination paper leaks.
Strongly condemning the action in a post on X, Mr. Baby said, “Strongly condemn the detention of Sonam Wangchuk and Abhijeet Dipke by the Delhi Police. Instead of sacking the Education Minister under whose nose the scandalous leak of papers happened and dismantling the system that continues to ruin the future of lakhs of students, the government is coming down with a heavy hand on peaceful protesters.”
He further accused the Narendra Modi government of displaying an authoritarian approach towards dissent, asserting that “silencing dissent cannot be a substitute for accountability.”
On Sunday at Jantar Mantar, members of the All India Students’ Association continued their hunger strike and were scheduled to be visited by a delegation comprising parliamentarians and prominent public figures, including CPI(M) MP Amra Ram, actors Prakash Raj and Shabana Azmi, lawyer Prashant Bhushan, and activist Yogendra Yadav.
Meanwhile, environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk's indefinite fast entered a critical phase as he remained admitted to Safdarjung Hospital. Wangchuk later outlined the conditions under which he would call off his protest.
“Not withstanding my health my fast continues till after the Sansad Chalo March, and will be broken only under the following circumstances…” he wrote.
His wife, Gitanjali Angmo, said he was willing to end the fast if “political leaders meet him at hospital and assure him that they will raise the issue of education accountability during Parliament session.”
In a handwritten note posted on Twitter, Wangchuk said he would end the fast if the government accepted responsibility for the “failures” in the education system, particularly the recent NEET question paper leaks.
Alternatively, he said political parties could assure him that the issue would be raised in Parliament, or senior political leaders could personally visit him in hospital and provide assurances regarding either of the first two demands.
On Sunday, Angmo moved the Delhi High Court seeking permission to shift Wangchuk from Safdarjung Hospital to a private medical facility.
Amid the growing protests, Biju Janata Dal president and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also appealed to the Centre to engage with students demonstrating over concerns related to education and governance.
According to the party, Patnaik said the BJD “stands firmly with the youth and students of the country”.
In a post on X, he argued that public confidence in the education system had been severely undermined.
“The damage goes far beyond a failed exam. It shatters faith in the very foundation of education system. It tells deserving students that hard work no longer matters, and robs them of their only ladder out of poverty. A nation that compromises the integrity of its examination system, compromises its own future,” he said.
Authorities imposed restrictions in parts of the national capital after the Cockroach Janata Party announced plans to march towards Parliament, while student groups and civil society activists also intensified their demonstrations over issues related to the education system.
The Delhi Police invoked prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in response to the outfit’s announced protest march.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) also said that “due to security reasons,” Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat and Seva Teerth metro stations would remain closed until further instructions.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday had criticised the Centre over the police action against activist Sonam Wangchuk and Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, accusing the government of suppressing peaceful dissent instead of addressing concerns over the alleged irregularities in the education system.
CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby denounced the Delhi Police's removal of Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar and the detention of Dipke, alleging that the government was targeting protesters while failing to fix systemic issues linked to examination paper leaks.
Strongly condemning the action in a post on X, Mr. Baby said, “Strongly condemn the detention of Sonam Wangchuk and Abhijeet Dipke by the Delhi Police. Instead of sacking the Education Minister under whose nose the scandalous leak of papers happened and dismantling the system that continues to ruin the future of lakhs of students, the government is coming down with a heavy hand on peaceful protesters.”
He further accused the Narendra Modi government of displaying an authoritarian approach towards dissent, asserting that “silencing dissent cannot be a substitute for accountability.”
On Sunday at Jantar Mantar, members of the All India Students’ Association continued their hunger strike and were scheduled to be visited by a delegation comprising parliamentarians and prominent public figures, including CPI(M) MP Amra Ram, actors Prakash Raj and Shabana Azmi, lawyer Prashant Bhushan, and activist Yogendra Yadav.
Meanwhile, environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk's indefinite fast entered a critical phase as he remained admitted to Safdarjung Hospital. Wangchuk later outlined the conditions under which he would call off his protest.
“Not withstanding my health my fast continues till after the Sansad Chalo March, and will be broken only under the following circumstances…” he wrote.
His wife, Gitanjali Angmo, said he was willing to end the fast if “political leaders meet him at hospital and assure him that they will raise the issue of education accountability during Parliament session.”
In a handwritten note posted on Twitter, Wangchuk said he would end the fast if the government accepted responsibility for the “failures” in the education system, particularly the recent NEET question paper leaks.
Alternatively, he said political parties could assure him that the issue would be raised in Parliament, or senior political leaders could personally visit him in hospital and provide assurances regarding either of the first two demands.
On Sunday, Angmo moved the Delhi High Court seeking permission to shift Wangchuk from Safdarjung Hospital to a private medical facility.
Amid the growing protests, Biju Janata Dal president and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also appealed to the Centre to engage with students demonstrating over concerns related to education and governance.
According to the party, Patnaik said the BJD “stands firmly with the youth and students of the country”.
In a post on X, he argued that public confidence in the education system had been severely undermined.
“The damage goes far beyond a failed exam. It shatters faith in the very foundation of education system. It tells deserving students that hard work no longer matters, and robs them of their only ladder out of poverty. A nation that compromises the integrity of its examination system, compromises its own future,” he said.
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