Published Jul 20, 2026 | 8:46 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 20, 2026 | 9:04 AM
The crowd at the CJP protest site swelled on Sunday night despite prohibitory orders.
Synopsis: Delhi police set up multi-layered barricades and deployed vehicle-mounted luggage scanners at several entry points into high-security zones in New Delhi, Central Delhi, and North Delhi, in light of the CJP’s Parliament march on the first day of the Monsoon Session.
Innovator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has set three conditions for ending his fast even as New Delhi and its surrounding areas witnessed heightened security ahead of the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) planned Chalo Sansad march (Parliament march on Monday, 20 July.
The crowd at Jantar Mantar, where the CJP has been sitting in protest, swelled on Sunday night after the party’s founder, Abhijeet Dipke, called for a night vigil.
The CJP has been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation after the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2026 had to be re-conducted following an alleged leak of questions.
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Delhi police set up multi-layered barricades and deployed vehicle-mounted x-ray luggage scanners at several entry points into high-security zones in New Delhi, Central Delhi, and North Delhi, in the light of the CJP’s Parliament march on the first day of the Monsoon Session.
Actor-activist Shabana Azmi speaks in solidarity with the demonstrators at Jantar Mantar on Sunday.
Additionally, the police issued a prohibitory order under Section 163, BNSS (formerly Section 144, CrPC), in the New Delhi district. The police have prohibited protest marches, processions, demonstrations and assemblies of five or more people, except at the designated protest site at Jantar Mantar with permission.
The police said no permission has been granted to CJP to carry out its proposed Parliament march.
“Delhi Police categorically clarifies that no permission has been sought or granted for any such protest march/procession,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sachin Sharma said in a public advisory issued on X on Sunday, 19 July.
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Meanwhile, Dipke expressed apprehension that the authorities were planning “something heinous”.
“We have received input that the authorities are planning something heinous where they will allow goons to disrupt the protest and then blame it on the peaceful CJP protesters,” Dipke said on X.
He also posted photographs of lorries parked at Jantar Mantar, saying they were loaded with stones.
“What are the police authorities up to? Are they orchestrating stone-pelting on the peaceful CJP protesters?” he asked.
Heavy police presence was seen around the protest site. Reiterating that the march would not be permitted, the police termed the agitation illegal and warned of action if the protesters proceeded towards Parliament. Police also interacted with the protesters, including Saurav Das, the CJP spokesperson.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk set conditions for ending his fast.
The CJP, while urging students to converge at Jantar Mantar, asked them to maintain peace.
In a handwritten note to “friends and supporters”, Wangchuk said he would end the fast if the government takes accountability for recent failures in the education system; if the CJP leadership reaches Parliament where MPs and leaders of leaders of various parties assure to take up the issue in Parliament, or if his health or other factors do not permit continuing the fact and MPs and different party leaders visit him in the hospital and assure him to take up the issue.
He added that he has been under “illegal detention at Safdarjung Hospital”. The note was posted on social media.
Police had forcefully shifted Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar to the Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday, 18 July.
