Reports said the wounded could be in the hundreds – with officials at one government hospital confirming that “at least 100” demonstrators were being treated for injuries.
Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in central Delhi on Monday morning as part of a planned but unauthorized march to Parliament that quickly descended into pandemonium as police beat agitators with batons and fired tear gas shells to disperse huge crowds that climbed over barricades and brought large parts of the capital to a standstill.
Despite police barricades on 10 major roads, the closure of five major metro stations since 9am and the suspension of mobile internet service between 10.30am and 6pm, activists, students, young professionals and housewives have flocked to Jantar Mantar since dawn. By the afternoon, protesters and police were locked in fierce battles in bylanes and roundabouts, where Connaught Place, Battle Chowk, Raisina Road, Outside Parliament, India Gate, Ashoka Road and APJ Abdul Kalam Road resembled a war zone, according to journalists and eyewitnesses.
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By evening, police had managed to repel the protesters with batons and tear gas, expelling the agitators from Jantar Mantar and dismantling their stage, only for activist Sonam Wangchuk to announce that his hunger strike would continue, and for the Janata Party to say they were mobilizing again.
Late in the evening, some RJD leaders returned to the protest site at Jantar Mantar; The police had previously evacuated the site of demonstrators and dismantled the platform there. A CJP spokesman said electricity supply had been cut off at the site and vowed to continue unrest.
Police version
Delhi Police said in a statement that the protesters displayed violent behaviour, attacking individuals with stones and other objects, while violating prohibitory orders imposed despite warnings.
The police said that first information reports were lodged regarding rioting, assault on public servants, damage to public property and other crimes committed during the protest. The statement said that about 70 people were arrested and at least 118 police officers were injured. The statement added that between 15 to 20 government vehicles and property were vandalized.
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An FIR will also be lodged over illegal use of drones in the high-security area, a senior police officer said separately. “We are reviewing today’s developments on a case-by-case basis and appropriate legal action will be taken,” the officer said.
The demonstrators allege the use of excessive force
But the protesters claimed that their injuries were multiple. The exact number of injured demonstrators was not immediately known. However, reports said the injured could be in the hundreds – with officials at one government hospital confirming that “at least 100” protesters were being treated for injuries.
Abhishek Gupta, 25, a resident of Janakpuri, alleged that the security personnel resorted to violence. “I was there because there are four or five children in the family preparing for NEET and they are under tremendous pressure.”
The demonstrators included teenagers leaving school, parents walking with their children, college students aspiring to government jobs, and people walking to the site after all-night bus and train rides. Members of Left student organisations, Aam Aadmi Party and MP Chandrasekhar Azad also attended with their supporters. Many held the tricolor flag in their hands along with handwritten placards, chanting slogans like ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, ‘Vande Mataram’, ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ and ‘Jai Bhim’ and demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Rohan Singh (30), who traveled from Haryana to participate in the protest, questioned the police’s actions, saying that the police’s use of force was completely unjustified. “We are in the streets demanding that the government be held accountable,” he said. “If it is in talks with the APC leadership, why are students being beaten? They are firing tear gas at us and chasing us in the market aisles with a lathe.” “If some restaurants had not allowed us to shelter inside, more of us would have been infected.”
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How did the clashes break out?
With hundreds of barriers set up on ten main roads, all roads leading to Parliament were closed, prompting demonstrators to slide into narrow lanes and suddenly gather at the roundabout. Riot police stood behind several layers of metal barriers.
The march began with Abhijit Deepke, founder of the Janata Cockroach Party, and Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmu, along with volunteers, boarding a tractor and stopping at barricades near the Kerala House. The commotion started around 10.30 am when protesters broke barricades near the Kerala House, prompting Delhi Police to charge people. At 11:30 a.m., demonstrators crossed a checkpoint The Parliament Street police station shook and marched while the police resorted to using lathi. About 30 minutes later, another clash broke out near Patel Chowk and Rail Bhawan.
The protesters near Raisina Road were finally repelled by tear gas shelling – about 50 to 100 meters from the Parliament Gate – as they branched off to different areas in central Delhi.
The sounds of tear gas shells echoed in the area as demonstrators ran for cover and police attacked the crowd. The fiercest fighting took place on Raisina Road, the roundabout near Janpath Metro station, and near Regal Cinema in Connaught Place.
“All participants are requested to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner, refrain from indulging in any illegal or violent activities and comply with lawful directions issued by police officers/individuals deployed on duty,” Delhi Police said in X.
The violence left behind signs of a desperate struggle in central Delhi.
Barriers were placed on the roads, as were shoes and slippers, and they were never in pairs. Torn banners, water bottles and broken umbrellas were scattered all over Parliament Street.
Sandeep, a student from Delhi, sat on the sidewalk with blood running down his forehead. “They hit me on the head, and then they dragged me here by force,” he said. A short distance away, Prakash said, “There were elderly people, and they were collapsing… but the police did not stop.”
Yogesh Prajapati, 26, a UPSC aspirant, said the government had created many obstacles for the protesters, from refusing to grant passes to using force against them.
“Many of us came guided by the ideals of Ambedkar and Gandhi. Despite the hurdles, we remained steadfast in our commitment to peacefully register our dissent to the state of education, but what the Delhi Police did was unjust and unjustified. There was no need for this kind of violence by them. It was just a peaceful protest by the students,” Prajapathi said.
AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Atishi and Sanjay Singh, activist Yogendra Yadav and actors Shabana Azmi and Prakash Raj participated in the protest.
By evening, Debke, his spokesman Ashutosh Ranka, Sourav Das and Angmo returned to the sit-in near Kerala House, saying the agitation would continue despite the crackdown.
“The police were very brutal,” Debke claimed.
Angmo said the movement had attracted the support of millions of young people. She added: “This shows that our education system, education policies and overall governance in this sector are very flawed and affect every young person. The government must listen to their concerns as soon as possible.”
Jignasa Sinha is a senior reporter who writes about crime, sex and work in Delhi.
