They came from several states – students, some still in school, who had skipped classes or slipped away without telling their parents to be at Jantar Mantar on July 20. Many were teenagers. Some had lost a year to NEET preparation, some had watched siblings fall into depression after the exam, one had lost his brother to suicide. 

What brought them, and many like them, together at Jantar Mantar on Monday was a single demand: the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The Cockroach Janta Party’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ march saw the crowd swell through the day. It started as a peaceful demonstration but the situation eventually turned volatile as the crowd pushed toward barricades and the police responded with lathi charge, tear gas and detentions.

Students Newslaundry spoke to said they had no fear.

‘How will we fight if we are scared?’

Naureen Saba, a 26-year-old member of the DISHA organisation, had said before the march began that she expected a lathi charge, detentions, and tear gas. 

“If a person stays silent because of police brutality, that is not a solution. Even if you do something against the government from within your own home, the government can come to your house and slap the NSA or UAPA on you.”

Naureen Saba, a 26-year-old member of the DISHA........

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