Bruised but not beaten: Youth back at Jantar Mantar

NEW DELHI: Undeterred by the beatings that many of their compatriots received at the hands of the Delhi police during the march to Parliament seeking Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination, hundreds of students and supporters returned to Jantar Mantar on Tuesday.

If the show of force was meant to keep them away from the protest, it seemed to have only strengthened their resolve to continue the agitation.

The protest site remained packed through the afternoon as students, joined by parents and supporters, raised slogans reiterating their demand for Pradhan’s resignation.

Delhi University student Sakshi Chanda, who participated in Monday’s march to Parliament organised by Cockroach Janta Party, alleged that the police action had only intensified the protest.

“The kind of police brutality we witnessed yesterday only strengthened our resolve. We have come back because this movement has been built through the sacrifices of so many. We cannot allow that to go in vain. We will continue until our voices are heard,” she said.

Standing beside her, Chanda’s mother said parents had a responsibility to stand with students.

“I came here today because this is about the future of our children. If we do not stand with them now, who will? They are asking questions about their education and careers, and they deserve to be heard,” she said.

Aditya Singh, who had travelled from neighbouring Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, claimed the police action had failed to discourage protesters.

“We saw barricades, detentions and force yesterday, but none of that has reduced the turnout today. If anything, more people are joining because they feel students are being treated unfairly,” he said.

“History shows that people in power often forget that when citizens take to the streets to ask questions, it is very hard to silence them,” he added.

The protesting youth also got the backing of senior leaders from almost all the non-NDA parties, including Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar, among others.

In a dramatic turn of events, Rahul, Priyanka, and Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, staged a surprise dharna outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence here, demanding his resignation. The sudden move in the high-security zone sent the government into a tizzy, prompting it to rush Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh, along with Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, to persuade the opposition leaders to vacate the sensitive site. After they refused to relent, the police forcibly removed and detained the leaders.

Congress leaders said Gandhi was taken to the Chhatrasal stadium in Model Town after his detention, and was later released.

As police swooped down on the site, Gandhi, who is the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, was seen lying on the ground and resisting as the security personnel tried to pick him up, and was reportedly injured in the process.