Kakroch Janata Party bows down to government, meeting with NDA, lathi charge on students

Thousands of protesters marched towards Parliament in the capital on Monday in support of the call by the Jantantra Party (CJP) for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and educational reforms, but were stopped by police at various places.
On the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament, there were minor clashes between protesters and security forces at several places in the capital amidst extraordinary security arrangements, during which police used lathis and tear gas shells and took protesters into custody. Meanwhile, the Central government also initiated formal talks with the CJP. The CJP had appealed to people to gather at Jantar Mantar and march towards Parliament in support of their demands.
From morning, a large number of people started reaching Jantar Mantar from different directions. Carrying tricolors and posters demanding the resignation of the Education Minister, protesters started moving from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament Marg via Janpath, but were stopped by police at Parliament Marg, who had put up barricades and informed them through loudspeakers that they were not allowed to proceed further.
Despite this, protesters continued to try to move forward. During this, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Delhi Police also used mild force to control the crowd.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police issued a statement on the social media platform 'X' denying reports of violence and detention in some media outlets, saying that the protest was being handled professionally and no attention should be paid to any kind of rumors. The police appealed to people to maintain peace.
On the other hand, protesters continued to move towards Parliament from other directions as well. Some protesters crossed the barricades and reached the Rail Bhavan intersection near Parliament, where security forces fired several tear gas shells at them. Many protesters sat on the road, chanting slogans.
Despite being persuaded by police officers, they did not budge, and mild force was used to push them back, and the road was later cleared. Several protesters were also taken into custody for violating prohibitory orders. At Patel Chowk, police also fired tear gas shells to stop protesters from moving forward.
During the protest, the Central government initiated talks with the CJP. Party spokesperson Surabhi Dass and leader Aashutosh Ranka met Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda at his residence. Mr. Dass said that after waiting for over two hours, they met Mr. Nadda for about ten minutes and handed over a written memorandum of the party's demands.
According to him, Mr. Nadda assured that the government would consider the issue at the internal level and the dialogue process would continue. Earlier, Mr. Dass had said that the government had contacted them on Monday morning for talks and the CJP was firm on its demands.
Notably, the CJP had started a dharna at Jantar Mantar on June 20, demanding the resignation of the Union Education Minister, educational reforms, and protests against paper leaks in various exams. Education expert and social activist Sonam Wangchuk had started an indefinite hunger strike on June 28, which was ended by the Delhi Police on July 18, after his health deteriorated, and he was admitted to a hospital.
After Mr. Wangchuk, CJP founder Abhijit Deepak had started a hunger strike, which he ended later. Six students from the All India Students' Association (AISA) were also on a hunger strike along with Mr. Wangchuk, although three of them were hospitalized at different times due to deteriorating health. The remaining three students also ended their hunger strike on Monday.
Actor Prakash Raj, actress and former MP Shabana Azmi, and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha ended the hunger strike by feeding them juice. Mr. Deepak also ended his hunger strike later. Mr. Wangchuk's wife, Geetanjali Angmo, said that Mr. Wangchuk had requested Mr. Deepak to end his hunger strike, as they needed energy to continue the protest.
Mr. Wangchuk had put three conditions for ending his hunger strike, demanding action on the NET paper leak.
New Delhi, July 20 (UNI) Social activist and education reform campaigner Sonam Wangchuk announced on Monday that if the government and political leadership provide three major assurances regarding his demands for education reform and action on the NET paper leak, he is ready to end his indefinite hunger strike.
In a handwritten note from Safdarjung Hospital, Mr. Wangchuk said he would end his hunger strike only after his conditions are met. He alleged that he was being held in "illegal detention" and that his freedom of movement, speech, and conversation was being restricted.
According to a letter shared on his 'X' account, Mr. Wangchuk's primary demand is that the government should acknowledge the serious flaws in the education system, including the NET paper leak. His second demand is that political parties should ensure that the issue is raised during the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament.
He said that if his health condition prevents him from participating in the proposed march to Parliament, senior political leaders should visit him in the hospital and personally assure him that action would be taken on the first two demands.
Mr. Wangchuk had joined the CJP's protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on June 28 and started an indefinite hunger strike, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NET paper leak.
Delhi Police had shifted him to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18, after his health deteriorated on the 21st day of his hunger strike. The police action came after doctors warned that his prolonged hunger strike was endangering his life, risking organ failure.
The Delhi High Court had also directed the authorities to take all necessary measures to protect his life, following which he was admitted to the hospital, where he is under constant medical supervision.