Tension escalated in the national capital on Monday as security forces resorted to a lathicharge after thousands of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters allegedly attempted to breach police barricades during the party's 'Chalo Sansad' march towards Parliament.
According to sources, the confrontation began around 11:25 a.m. when protesters tried to push through multiple barricades set up in the high-security Parliament Street area. The situation quickly turned into a scuffle, leaving several protesters and police personnel with minor injuries. Around 10 to 15 protesters were reportedly detained during the operation.
The protest coincided with the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, prompting authorities to deploy heavy security across central Delhi.
Amid the standoff, CJP Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das confirmed that the organisation had opened communication channels with the government.
"We are in talks (with the government)," Das told ANI while being escorted to the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police.
Parliament disrupted amid Opposition protests
Inside Parliament, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated disruptions, leading to adjournments as Opposition members raised various issues.
Before adjourning the Lok Sabha till noon, Speaker Om Birla appealed to members to cooperate.
"Please remain seated. Cooperate in running the House," Birla said.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the nation ahead of the Monsoon Session, urged lawmakers to ensure constructive debate rather than disruption.
"Where there is a strong argument, strong facts, there is no need for a storm. May every voice find space," the Prime Minister said.
In another message to Members of Parliament, Modi drew a parallel between the monsoon and the parliamentary session.
"Be it the monsoon or the monsoon session, if both are proactive, they prove to be highly productive. And when both are productive, it leads to the welfare of the nation and the well-being of all living beings," he said.
Opposition leaders, public figures join protest
The CJP's protest at Jantar Mantar drew support from several opposition leaders and public figures, including Aam Aadmi Party leaders Atishi, Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia, Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief Chandrashekhar Azad, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, veteran actor Shabana Azmi, RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha, and actor-activist Prakash Raj, who joined demonstrators demanding education reforms.
Sonam Wangchuk continues hunger strike
Meanwhile, activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is undergoing treatment at Safdarjung Hospital, reiterated that he would continue his indefinite hunger strike until the government accepted responsibility for alleged failures in the education system, including examination paper leaks, or Members of Parliament assured him that the matter would be taken up in Parliament.
"I will end my indefinite hunger strike if the government takes accountability for the failures in the education system or if MPs assure me the issue will be raised in Parliament," Wangchuk said.
Safdarjung Hospital, in an official statement, maintained that it was "necessary" to keep Wangchuk under clinical monitoring to detect any health complications arising from his prolonged fast.
In a parallel legal development, the Delhi High Court agreed to hear an urgent appeal filed by Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, challenging a single-judge order that had declined to interfere with his continued treatment at the government hospital.
When the matter was mentioned before a division bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, the bench agreed to hear it the same day.
"Alright. Today," the bench observed while granting an urgent listing.
Meanwhile, members of the All India Students' Association (AISA) who had been observing a parallel hunger strike at Jantar Mantar announced that they were ending their fast following intervention by prominent civil society members and Opposition parliamentarians.
The developments mark a significant escalation in the CJP's nationwide agitation over education reforms, with simultaneous street protests, legal proceedings and political confrontations unfolding on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
