Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, accompanied by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, on Tuesday (July 21) protested outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Kalyan Marg residence, demanding his resignation over the police action against students during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s protest march on Monday (July 20).
On Monday, a pitched battle ensued between protesters and police personnel during the CJP-led ‘Sansad Chalo’ rally to Parliament on the first day of the Monsoon Session, held to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
According to Delhi Police, more than 118 police personnel sustained injuries, while the number of injured protesters was 60.
A young woman injured in police action is on ventilator support at the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, PTI quoted hospital sources as saying on Tuesday. The woman sustained injuries on Monday.
Rahul, Priyanka stage sit-in
In their dharna outside the prime minister’s residence, Rahul and Priyanka were joined by several party MPs and leaders, who raised slogans against Modi.
The Gandhi siblings and other Congress leaders earlier met some of the students injured in Monday’s police action at the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital.
Despite Monday’s police action, protesters camped at Jantar Mantar through the night braving heavy rains.
On Tuesday morning, volunteers cleaned the protest site, while CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke apologised to supporters injured in the police action.
‘Girls beaten up by male police officers’
Heavy security remained in place around the protest venue as volunteers were seen cleaning the stage, the only structure left standing after police removed the tents and other temporary installations on Monday.
In an X post, Dipke apologised to those injured in the crackdown.
“I apologise to all our supporters, especially the girls who were brutally beaten up by male police officers. We could have done better. I could have done better to protect you from the inhumane actions of the Delhi Police,” he wrote.
“To protect one Dharmendra Pradhan, who is responsible for the deaths of more than 20 students, the government was willing to spill the blood of many more young students,” Dipke alleged.
“If you were injured and see this, please DM me. I want to speak to you personally and apologise. We will keep fighting for all of you,” he said in another post, while separately describing the developments as, “Not a democracy.” CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said activist Sonam Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike had entered its 24th day.
“Sonam Wangchuk is on the 24th day of his hunger strike. He is still fighting for us. We won’t stop. Pradhan has to be sacked,” Ranka said in a post on X.
Monday’s protest
Monday saw thousands of protesters, carrying placards and the tricolour, fanning out across the city and chanting slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, “Jai Bhim, “Vande Mataram” and “Dharmendra Pradhan Istifa Do”.
As the Delhi Police cracked down on the protesters, the CJP alleged brutality and accused the security personnel of using excessive force against protesters during its “Sansad Chalo” march, alleging that several students were injured and Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, was pushed around. CJP also claimed that pellet guns were used on protesters.
Police instead accused the protesters of attacking security personnel with stones and other objects, attempting to breach barricades and vandalising government property.
FIR filed, security tightened
Delhi Police have registered four FIRs so far and are in the process of filing two more in connection with violence, vandalism and other incidents during the “Sansad Chalo”, PTI said quoting sources.
Security has also been beefed up across the national capital with heavy deployment of police and paramilitary personnel visible at sensitive locations.
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