New Delhi: A large number of protesters at Parliament Street Police Station Monday faced the brunt of massive deployment of tear gas and lathicharge as security forces tried to disperse the crowd attempting to breach barricades during the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP’s) march to Parliament.
Some of the most intense clashes between security personnel and protesters were seen near Delhi’s Patel Chowk metro station. Police and RAF deployed multiple tear gas shells and carried out heavy lathicharge. Protesters hurled objects at security forces including glass and plastic bottles.
The CJP marched towards Parliament Monday demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as accountability for the NEET-UG paper leak scandal. They have also demanded reforms in the education system. Thousands walked from Connaught Place to Sansad Marg through Janpath as the Delhi Police had barricaded the Sansad Marg entry point at the outer circle of Connaught Place.
Chaos unfolded near Patel Chowk. Many protesters sustained injuries on hands and legs.
A protester who was being removed from the site by the security forces, showed ThePrint his injuries. “Are we animals? They are beating us up? Are we terrorists?” he asked, showing the injuries on his body.
Another protester told ThePrint, “They are beating us up black and blue, without any reason.”
Through the day, there was heavy deployment of uniformed police personnel, along with officers in plainclothes, across the area around Parliament.
Among the protesters was Rovin, an AISA DU office-bearer member, who suffered a fracture on his left arm along with other injuries. AISA said other activists have also suffered severe injuries on their neck, back, arms and legs. “Reports have also come of a common student having a shoulder dislocation. Male police officers have carried out lathicharge on women protesters,” an AISA office-bearer claimed.
Similar scenes played out near Patel Chowk metro station. “We have been protesting since morning, and we were trying to find a way out of the chaos, but the barricades have been placed at all ends. It is difficult to get out of this,” a protester who got caught in tear gas action told ThePrint.
Several young students said that they were not allowed to move even as they tried to safeguard themselves. Police didn’t help them get out, and ended up lathicharging them, they claimed, due to which they ended up taking shelter behind vehicles.
“Is this a war zone? Why is the police resorting to tear gas assault on peaceful protesters?” the CJP wrote in a post on X.
It also posed a question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “Have you decided we are no longer a democracy? First your govt ignored this protest for a month and now when we are peacefully marching your govt is attacking us. Why?”
Several opposition leaders also raised the matter on social media. Aaditya Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT) wrote on X: “When a brutal regime points guns towards young Indians who are asking for a better education system, you know that the regime is anti- India.”
When a brutal regime points guns towards young Indians who are asking for a better education system, you know that the regime is anti- India.
When the world sees images of the police brutality by the regime against a peaceful protest march, it will realise that India is no… https://t.co/sc4ttm2YJ4
— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) July 20, 2026
He added, “When the world sees images of the police brutality by the regime against a peaceful protest march, it will realise that India is no longer a democracy but captured by a regime.”
Additional Commissioner of Police and PRO Rajeev Ranjan in a statement appealed to all protestors to maintain peace, exercise restraint and cooperate with the police in ensuring peace and public order. “All participants are requested to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner, refrain from indulging in any unlawful or violent activities and comply with the lawful directions issued by police officers/personnel deployed on duty.”
The Additional CP further said: “The public is advised not to believe or circulate rumours, misinformation or unverified content through any platform. Citizens are requested to rely only on authentic sources of information and extend their cooperation to Delhi Police in maintaining peace, harmony and public order.”
60 protesters, 118 cops injured, says Delhi Police
The Delhi Police in a statement Monday said that around 60 protesters and more than 118 police personnel sustained injuries during the CJP protest, including senior officers of the ranks of Special Commissioner of Police, Joint Commissioner of Police, Additional Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police and Assistant Commissioner of Police, besides several women police personnel.
“During today’s protest by CJP in the New Delhi area, the protesters displayed unruly, aggressive and violent behaviour. Despite repeated warnings and lawful directions issued by the police, they refused to disperse and deliberately violated the prohibitory orders in force.”
The police alleged that protesters attacked police personnel with stones and other objects, attempted to breach police barricades, vandalised police and other government vehicles, damaged public property, and “resorted to large-scale violence, posing a serious threat to public order, the security arrangements in place, and the safety of police personnel performing their lawful duties”.
Around 15 to 20 government vehicles, along with other government property, were also vandalised, police said.
“Around 70 protesters have been detained. Appropriate legal action is being initiated, and an FIR is being registered under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and other applicable laws for rioting, assault on public servants, damage to public property and other offences committed during the protest,” read the statement.
This report has been updated to incorporate the Delhi Police’s statement.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)