New Delhi: Hundreds of food delivery orders have been pouring in at the Cockroach Janta Party protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Anonymous supporters from across the country, who could not attend the protests themselves, are resorting to sending material support to show support for the movement.
A viral video of a man from Mumbai sending an anonymous delivery acted as a catalyst for the development.
“Someone named Anuj Rawat from Mumbai, Maharashtra, ordered the food and asked us to distribute it to anyone hungry at Jantar Mantar. The payment has already been made online,” a delivery partner is heard saying in a video.
Ever since, countless orders have been placed — to the point that there’s an excess of food at the protest site.
“Update from Jantar Mantar: We have enough food for today! Please do not send any more food, as we want to ensure nothing goes to waste,” the official account of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) posted on X.
‘Humanity is still alive’
Countless videos of Zomato and Swiggy delivery partners arriving with nameless orders have gone viral. The food orders are diverse, ranging from chai and samosa and vada pav to veg thalis and biryani and pizzas.
“No name, no details–just ‘Jantar Mantar’ as the address. The food was arranged like a buffet, and anyone who wanted could take what they liked,” the CJP’s official account posted on X Tuesday morning.
Various Instagram Reels and X posts of food donation drives have come out of the protest site.
“This is not the power of social media,” says one of the posts, “This is the power of love.”
Another user wrote: “Democracy is dead, but humanity is still alive. Funded by Indian brothers & sisters”
Many others shared their own efforts to contribute through donations, turning food into a visible symbol of solidarity.
“I have contributed. Have you yet? Readers, Do it,” posted a contributor on X.
Some restaurants have also come forward to donate food as a mark of solidarity. A sandwich shop located in Greater Kailash, Kona, has posted a reel depicting bags of packed food to be sent to the protestors.
“Eat sandos, stay strong, stay safe! We stand with the youth of our nation,” wrote the restaurant in the caption. Sandos is the name of the signature sandwich of the brand, Kona.
Aside from online orders, local individuals and community groups continue to visit the venue to physically distribute home-cooked food, fruits, and bottled drinks.
Public solidarity is manifesting through practical, everyday community support at the CJP’s ongoing sit-in demanding education reforms and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the 2026 NEET-UG paper leaks. At every few steps at the protest, volunteers at the protest can be seen offering free food to the fellow protestors. Volunteers are also supplying water bottles and ORS solutions for rehydration owing to the city heat.
Also read: How indie track ‘Taare’ became the unofficial anthem of the CJP protests
From fans to helmets
Apart from food and water, a variety of other necessities are also being donated for the protestors.
An Instagram reel shows a turban-clad man distributing electric hand fans to the protestors. One of the men accepting the fan in the reel plays into the allegations about the protest being externally funded, joking, “where are you getting the funding from?” to which the donor graciously replies, “aap logo ke liye funding hi funding hai (I have endless personal funds for all of you).
Another reel captures datun, neem sticks traditionally chewed on to herbally ‘brush’ teeth and mouth, being distributed to the protestors who have been at the site through the night.
Some have even donated crowd-funded protective gear — helmets, swimming goggles and masks — to equip the protestors to safeguard them from tear-gas shelling and lathi-charges by the police.
These acts of support, while heartening to many, have also sparked allegations of external funding.
“A truck full of food and water arrived at midnight. Someone is funding them very well,” one post on X claimed.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)