New Delhi: At frequent intervals each day, sevadars (volunteers) can be seen sweeping the marble floor and washing utensils at Delhi’s Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, which sees a steady stream of visitors at all times of day and night. Around midnight Tuesday, among the visitors were schoolboys and aspirants who had travelled to the Capital from across the country to take part in the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar.
The sevadars were preparing to ensure that they, among others, had a clean spot to sleep and there was enough food in the langar kitchen.
Since Monday’s police crackdown, gurdwaras in the city have thrown open their doors to CJP supporters. At Bangla Sahib in the heart of Delhi, balconies, verandahs and all guest rooms are open to supporters looking for a meal, shelter and first-aid.
None of the sewadars pause for a minute. The work has to get done. People need mattresses, hot meals to eat and a cup of chai to drink.
Priyanshu, 16, and Suraj, 19—Class 8 and Class 9 students from Chhapra in Bihar—sit in the verandah, recalling the scenes during the march on Parliament on 20 July when security forces used batons and tear gas against protesters.
“What a day it was, bhai,” Suraj tells Priyanshu.
Suraj then pulls up the hem of his trousers and checks the wounds he says he sustained in the police lathicharge.
The cuts have dried up. But the anger persists. “So many paper leaks in Bihar. The children are angry. Our future is unsafe now. Many like us are protesting in Bihar,” says Priyanshu.
“They are not going back home. They are here to get ‘insaf’ (justice),” he adds.
Also Read: Fractures, blood clots, head injuries: Inside Delhi hospitals after lathicharge at CJP march
Camping for weeks
Hundreds of CJP supporters who have travelled to Delhi from across the country have been camping at Jantar Mantar for weeks to demand accountability from the government, educational reforms and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
After Monday’s ‘Sansad Chalo’ march, protesters returned to Jantar Mantar to find the tarpaulin tents they took weeks to set up in tatters. They alleged the tents, stitched with bamboo poles and mattresses on straw mats, were torn down in the police action.
Police said five to six FIRs have been registered against unidentified persons after the clashes left more than 100 protesters and 118 police personnel injured.
With their temporary homes dismantled, some protesters spent the night hunting for their scattered belongings and rebuilding their tents. As the rain began pelting down, many like Priyanshu and Suraj turned to local gurdwaras, temples and mosques.
Be it Bangla Sahib, Rakab Ganj Sahib, or even Sis Ganj Sahib in Chandni Chowk, protesters found a mattress or a mat to sleep peacefully in Delhi’s gurdwaras.
Finally, a peaceful sleep
Among the many protesters at Bangla Sahib are Rahul Bhati, 20, who had to take the NEET medical entrance exam for a second time, and his cousin, Ramesh Bhati, 22, who is preparing for the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exam. The two men, from Jodhpur, decided to join the protest, but did not inform their parents.
“They would obviously be worried. But I can’t hold it anymore. I secured 532 this year when I gave NEET, and then, I secured 440 in RE-NEET. My father is a farmer, and he has spent so much money. I will fight for the rights of all students. We deserve better,” Rahul says.
For Ramesh, it isn’t just the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak that matters. He says he’s concerned about all government exams.
The two, with their heads covered, washed utensils after finishing their langar, and then prepared to sleep. “It has been a long day, and gurdwaras are offering us safe spaces to sleep. It is difficult to sleep at the protest site. What if the police take any action?” said Rahul.
Sewadars to the rescue
Sewadars at Bangla Sahib, who had a long night Monday after the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march, said that they would continue to help. “Yesterday night, there was no space to set foot in the gurdwara, but we were not worried. These are our children,” a sewadar, who was brushing the curtains at the courtyard, told ThePrint on condition of anonymity.
He said it was around 4 pm Monday when protesters injured in the clashes started pouring in.
“All sewadars, including the devotees, left everything and first helped them out. Anybody who comes to a gurdwara, we welcome them with open arms. All the injured persons were given first-aid,” he said.
Another sewadar, who was sweeping the marble floor, said, “At night, the supporters were hungry. They had not had food all day. So, we decided to pack food and took the utensils to the site. However, the police did not allow us. So, all the supporters then came to the gurdwara. Everybody ate properly. There was food for everybody.”
Late at night, protesters also found space at the gurdwara to sleep.
“We have enough mattresses, pillows, straw mats to ensure everybody is comfortable. And now, we will be ready to prepare whatever the supporters require. Gurdwaras are always there to help everyone out, especially our young children. Yesterday a lot of young children were hurt; it was sad to see them,” another young sewadar said Tuesday.
Harteerath Singh Ahluwalia of Hemkunt Foundation, who has repeatedly said that Delhi’s gurdwaras would remain open for all, told ThePrint that the gurdwaras have enough sewadars and managers to look after every single supporter and protester.
“We have deployed our people, and this is our community. A gurdwara is a community space. This is not the first protest we have helped. We ensured help for all our farmers during their protests. Our kitchens are ready, blankets are out, langar hall has seating for all,” he said. “There is a lot of barkat (blessings),” Ahluwalia added.
He said neighbourhood gurdwaras were also pitching in. “So many people even came forward asking how they can help. Be it medicines, water, food, anything. Like ours, many other foundations are working to ensure there is food for all.”
Harmeet Singh Kalka of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee told ThePrint that all gurdwaras are open to all people and the langars were serving everyone.
“The moral duty of Sikhism is to help everyone. If anybody needs shelter, they know where to come. We have also helped so many injured protesters with medical aid,” Kalka said.
“While we managed to help with whatever we had previously, now, considering the situation, that more supporters are coming in, we will increase the quantity of our food and medical supplies,” he added.
Some mosques have also come forward to help the protest supporters.
Lawyer Imam and Man Singh Road mosque custodian Asan Khan Falahi told ThePrint that the mosque is ensuring 24×7 water supply for all.
“There is enough water, and a washroom that our protesters need. We do not discriminate on the basis of religion, caste or gender. All are welcome,” Falahi said.
Food, friends and now, a family
The CJP protest and Jantar Mantar site have turned both first-time protesters and those who have attended protests in the past into friends and family.
School students, college students, working professionals, even parents and grandparents, are part of the protest, taking care of each other.
Among them is Manish Kumar, 22, a B.Com graduate from Karnal in Haryana, who is preparing for government exams.
Manish saw a reel and decided to lend his support to the movement. With just Rs 400 in his pocket, he boarded a bus to Kashmere Gate and walked 7 km to the protest site.
He says he had made friends for life both at the site and at the gurdwara. “I have friends from MP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and even Assam. They are doctors, engineers and bank employees. I have had conversations over chai with people I would not have met otherwise.”
At night, all the protesters gather in small groups and discuss the day’s events—news they missed, police action and what political leaders said.
Will not leave protest site
While most protesters have decided to take shelter at gurdwaras, some have refused to leave the Jantar Mantar site. Their concern is that the police might come back and dismantle their tents if the space is left unattended.
One of the protesters at the site is Yash, a Faridabad resident who has been protesting for 25 days now.
“I know how we were forced to leave, and then when we came back, our tents were broken. We all get food from the gurdwara and distribute it here,” said Yash. “But I will not leave. I am here to stay.”
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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