At 1 am, the emergency building of Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital has not gone quiet. One man waits outside the ICU for his sister to regain consciousness. On the floor below, others groan with an arm or a leg in a cast. A few hours ago, all of them were marching to Parliament.

They were among more than 250 people who came to RML for treatment on Monday, according to hospital staff and a doctor on night duty. A senior doctor put the same figure to Newslaundry, adding that most took first aid and left, and that around a dozen of them were policemen. The march, called by the Cockroach Janta Party, drew thousands of students and supporters to Delhi from several states. Police blocked the route to Parliament with barricades at multiple points, and the day ended with tear gas, lathi charge and scuffles. 

Newslaundry stayed at the hospital until nearly 2 am and spoke to dozens of the injured – most of them young, many of them from outside Delhi, several of whom had not told their families where they were.

On the fifth floor, Bharat stood outside the ICU around 1 am with CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who came to check on Bharat’s sister, Sakshi. She had joined the protest, fell during a stampede, and is on a ventilator.

“My sister just finished college and is studying further. She is still a child, only 21. She had gone to demand her rights. I trust she will be fine,” said Bharat, who lives in Shiv Vihar. “I drive a taxi. My sister didn’t do anything wrong. I found out she was given CPR too, but there was no movement. Still, I fully trust she will be fine.”

One of Sakshi’s friends, who lives in Chhatarpur and was with her during the protest, said, “My younger sister, Sakshi and I,........

© newslaundry