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New Delhi: Hunting for discarded wrappers and food packets from the Jantar Mantar protest site, Delhi Police has been tracking down restaurants in the area, asking them why they “supported” youth protesters who, on July 25, celebrated the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan as the symbol of repeated examination failures. The goal of the police? To make eateries stop supplying “free food” or making bulk deliveries to the venue of the protest.

Pradhan stepped down under duress, meeting a key demand of the protesters led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) after a sustained 36 days of protests and hunger strikes at Jantar Mantar for 36 days.

Soon after, Delhi Police began hounding every helping hand that extended support to the protesters – even if it was in the smallest possible way. The owners of several cafes and restaurants told The Wire that Delhi Police reached out to them, asking them to not supply food to the site anymore.

“They called us to the police station, asked us which NGO we were doing this for, or who told us to supply food. We did........

© The Wire