Delhi Police Clash With Cockroach Janta Party Protesters

Thousands of supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) clashed with security forces in New Delhi on July 20, 2026, during a "Chalo Sansad" march to Parliament. The youth-led movement demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following alleged NEET-UG paper leaks and systemic education failures. Delhi Police and paramilitary forces deployed tear gas, water cannons, and lathi-charges to block the march, which coincided with the opening of Parliament's Monsoon Session. The clashes resulted in approximately 178 injuries, including 118 police personnel and 60 protesters, and led to the detention of roughly 70 individuals.

The protests were galvanized by the forced hospitalization of activist Sonam Wangchuk on July 18 after a 21-day hunger strike. While the Delhi High Court initially upheld the transfer to Safdarjung Hospital, it later ordered his move to Medanta Hospital on July 21 to protect his fundamental rights. Wangchuk has since extended his indefinite fast, demanding government accountability for education failures.

In a first sign of outreach, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda met with CJP representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka to receive a memorandum demanding Pradhan's resignation, Wangchuk's release, and 1 crore rupees in compensation for the families of students who died by suicide. Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal, condemned the police crackdown as "brutality." In response, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the paper leaks as a "grave sin" and confirmed the arrest of 13 individuals, though he did not address the protests directly. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke subsequently canceled further marches to avoid more casualties but vowed to continue the sit-in at Jantar Mantar.