The Cockroach Janta Party's indefinite protest entered its 35th day on Friday at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, with demonstrators vowing to continue their agitation amid heightened security despite activist Sonam Wangchuk ending his 26-day hunger strike. The group has been leading peaceful protest over alleged examination irregularities, including the NEET paper leak, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and greater accountability in the examination system. The agitation escalated after police resorted to a lathi charge and used tear gas to disperse protesters marching towards Parliament during the "Sansad Chalo" march.
Top developments
Activist Sonam Wangchuk has ended his 26-day hunger strike after assurances that students' concerns would be raised in Parliament.
CJP welcomed Wangchuk's decision but said its peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar will continue until Pradhan resigns.
CJP's meeting with Centre concluded at the Constitution Club.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced fast-track courts for paper leak cases, promising swift action against those responsible.
The Opposition has intensified its attack on the Centre, alleging excessive police action against protesters.
Before breaking his hunger strike, Sonam Wangchuk appealed for peace, urging protesters not to resort to violence despite reports of unrest elsewhere.
In a post on X, Wangchuk wrote, "PEACE & ONLY PEACE IS MY WAY." He said that while the protest at Jantar Mantar remained peaceful, he was "pained to learn that elsewhere some antisocial elements are taking advantage of the peaceful protests to provoke violence."
"No matter what the other side does our response must only be flowers. Please keep this tradition at all costs," he added.
DAY 26
— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) July 23, 2026
PEACE & ONLY PEACE IS MY WAY…
While at Jantar Mantar the protests remain peaceful I’m pained to learn that elsewhere some antisocial elements are taking advantage of the peaceful protests to provoke violence.
No matter what the other side does our response must only be…
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das that Delhi Police detained three youths at Nizamuddin Police Station for allegedly carrying food to Jantar Mantar.
Das also alleged that several youngsters had been detained without reason and criticised the police crackdown in central Delhi. “Stop terrorising young kids RIGHT NOW!” he wrote on X.
#Imp: Three young boys have been detained by the @DelhiPolice at Nizamuddin Police Station for carrying food to Jantar Mantar. Yes, you read that right!
— Saurav Das (@SauravDassss) July 23, 2026
Several reports of young kids being detained for no reason. Central Delhi being cordoned off. Why is the new @CPDelhi cracking…
Activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his indefinite hunger strike after the Centre assured him that his demands would be addressed.
He called off the fast after Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met him at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram around midnight on Thursday and conveyed the government's assurances.
"Just now in the presence of Union Ministers JP Nadda, Dr Jitendra Singh and the senior leaders of Apex Body of Leh Ladakh, I finally broke my fast after 26 days," Wangchuk said in a post on X.
Just now in the presence of Union Ministers Sh. JP Nadda, Dr. Jitendra Singh and the senior leaders of Apex Body of Leh Ladakh I finally broke my fast after 26 days. Earlier 65 members of parliament from different political parties had visited or signed letters urging me to break… pic.twitter.com/RFCet7Oksy
— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) July 23, 2026
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Friday said it was "relieved and grateful" that activist Sonam Wangchuk had ended his 26-day hunger strike, but asserted that its peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar would continue until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.
In a post on X, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke thanked Wangchuk for his "extraordinary courage and sacrifice".
"We are relieved and grateful that Sonam sir has ended his hunger strike after 26 days. Thank you, sir, for your extraordinary courage and sacrifice. By putting your own life on the line, you awakened the conscience of an entire nation. Your life is far too precious to this country," Dipke said.
"The Cockroach Janta Party's peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar will continue until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns," he added.
We are relieved and grateful that Sonam sir has ended his hunger strike after 26 days.
— Cockroach Janta Party (@CJP_for_India) July 24, 2026
Protest will continue at Jantar Mantar till the resignation of Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday late night announced that the government is going to take more strict actions against paper leaks in the meeting of the Union Cabinet to be held on Friday.
In a video message in Hindi, Modi said, “More strict actions against paper leaks will come in tomorrow’s cabinet.”
He said the government has taken a decision to constitute a fast-track court and directed the departments to work on constituting it and also other strict measures.
“The departments have informed me late night that the draft proposal in this regard with provision of strict punishment is ready and the same will be taken up during the meeting of the Union cabinet. After discussing the matter with my cabinet colleagues, we will take a final decision.”
More strict actions against paper leaks to come in tomorrow’s Cabinet! pic.twitter.com/NRysBukk5U
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 23, 2026
DMRC has closed 17 stations from 07:30 am on Friday (July 24, 2026) until further notice due to heightened security concerns amid the ongoing protests at Jantar Mantar.
Service Update
— Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (@OfficialDMRC) July 23, 2026
Below mentioned Metro stations will be closed from 07:30 AM tomorrow (24th July, 2026) till further instructions. However, Interchange facility shall remain available at Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House and Central Secretariat.
1. Lok Kalyan Marg
2. Rajiv Chowk
3.…
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday said students have demanded accountability and educational reforms, but the Modi government has responded to their courage with "cowardice and wanton cruelty, treating them not as inheritors of the future but as enemies of the nation".
She accused the government of degrading India's education landscape and asserted that the country's students have called the Modi regime's bluff.
She emphasised it is a moral, political, and constitutional duty to stand with students and safeguard their future.
The government and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) are set to hold talks on Friday at the Constitution Club of India here after the Centre "agreed" to the outfit's request that the meeting be held at a neutral venue
CJP national spokesperson Saurav Das said the outfit welcomed the government's decision to "accept its request for a neutral venue".
"A discussion has been called. We are very happy that the government has agreed to our request that the meeting should be held at a neutral venue, and the Constitution Club of India has been chosen," Das told reporters.
"I hope the government comes with an open mind and listens to the people," he said.
The CJP had earlier declined the government's invitation to hold talks at a minister's residence or office, insisting that discussions should take place at a neutral venue.
The last round of talks between the two sides took place on July 20, when CJP national spokespersons Das and Ashutosh Ranka met Union Health Minister J P Nadda at his residence.
The two leaders later alleged that they were kept under "virtual detention" during the meeting and said they had subsequently insisted that any future discussions with the government be held only at a neutral venue.
#WATCH | Delhi: Saurav Das, Chief Spokesperson, Cockroach Janta Party, says, "... Tomorrow, a discussion has been called for, we are very happy that the government has agreed to our request that it be at a neutral venue. The Constitution Club of India has been chosen..." pic.twitter.com/OOBnq8bqb7
— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2026
A CJP delegation is scheduled to meet Union ministers at 12.30 pm today to discuss the students' issue.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra welcomed Sonam Wangchuk's decision to end his hunger strike. She wrote on X, “very glad you have ended fast. Please rest & take care of your health. Also please ensure govt does not use your voice as a tool now to try & break agitation. Thank you."
Dear @Wangchuk66 very glad you have ended fast. Please rest & take care of your health. Also please ensure govt does not use your voice as a tool now to try & break agitation. Thank you.
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) July 24, 2026
The Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday (July 24, 2026), said in a post on X addressing PM Modi, “Before coming to Parliament today, come after dismissing Dharmendra Pradhan.
First, apologise to the students and take strict action against those who ordered the use of lathis, batons, and Pellet Guns to suppress the students’ voices. Then we are ready for a detailed Discussion on the education system.”
जब संसद चल रही होती है तो प्रधानमंत्री को संसद के पटल पर Statement देना होता है, देर रात एक वीडियो बनाकर, संसद के बाहर एकतरफ़ा “मन की बात” नहीं करनी होती !! @narendramodi जी,
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) July 24, 2026
आज संसद में आने से पहले, धर्मेंद्र प्रधान को बर्खास्त कर के आइएगा। पहले छात्रों से माफ़ी माँगिए और…
Dharmendra Pradhan must resign,’ repeats CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke hours before Centre's proposed talks with CJP delegation.
Opposition MPs are set to stage a protest at Makar Dwar at 10.30 am on Friday over the students' issue and alleged exam paper leaks. This comes during the monsoon session of Parliament.
Addressing protesters at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Friday, Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka claimed the Centre was feeling the pressure of the ongoing agitation, pointing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's late-night video message as evidence.
Ranka said the Prime Minister's video, released around 12.30 am, reflected the government's concern over the youth-led protest but asserted that words alone would not suffice.
"They are now afraid because of you all... You may not be aware... PM Modi released a video at 12.30 am. This is the first time that PM Modi has released a video so late at night," Ranka said.
"He said the government is serious about the youths. This government is very sensitive and will take strict action. If Modiji wants to take strict action, then he should sack Dharmendra Pradhan immediately. We won't accept anything less than that," he said.
VIDEO | Delhi Jantar Mantar Protest: CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka addresses protestors, says, "They are now afraid because of you all... You may be not aware... PM Modi released a video at 12.30 am. This is for the first time that PM Modi has released a video so late at… pic.twitter.com/kwfScwmgLh
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 24, 2026
TMC MP Mahua Moitra on Friday accused the government of following a "divide and rule" strategy amid the protests over the paper leak issue.
"Modiji’s divide & rule: 1. Broker compromise with [Sonam Wangchuk] & nullify him, 2. Try & broker some “discussion” lollipop deal with Opposition 3. Paint protestors as violent anarchist & clamp down. IT WILL NOT WORK. Pradhan must resign," she wrote on X.
Modiji’s divide & rule: 1. Broker compromise with @Wangchuk66 & nullify him, 2. Try & broker some “discussion” lollipop deal with Opposition 3. Paint protestors as violent anarchist & clamp down. IT WILL NOT WORK. Pradhan must resign.
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) July 24, 2026
CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka says, “We want to make it very clear that until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns, the protest at Jantar Mantar will continue.”
The Delhi High Court is set to hear a plea challenging the internet restrictions at Jantar Mantar today. The court will also hear a petition challenging constant surveillance at the protest site.
Leaders of several opposition parties on Friday staged a protest on the Parliament House premises demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
Led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and its general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, several opposition MPs raised slogans against the government, demanding Pradhan’s resignation and a discussion on paper leaks in both Houses of Parliament.
They also carried a banner reading ‘Barkhaast Karo Pradhan Ko’, while raising slogans against the government and the education minister.
Cockroach Janta Party leader Abhijeet Dipke on Friday said they won’t accept anything less than Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. The remark comes ahead of the meeting with government at 12:30 PM on Friday. “The team will meet JP Nadda at a neutral location at 12.30 pm. We will not accept anything less than Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation!” the CJP said in a social media post.
The team will meet JP Nadda at a neutral location at 12.30 pm.
— Cockroach is Back (@Cockroachisback) July 24, 2026
We will not accept anything less than Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation! pic.twitter.com/j4kHj8HX6H
The Delhi Police has cancelled the leave of all police personnel until further orders. An official directive has been issued for officers of all ranks. According to the order, no regular leave will be granted until the next directive. Leave will be permitted only in emergency situations.
Delhi Police cited the "prevailing law & order situation" in its circular.
Abhijeet Dipke on Friday criticised the transfer of the Education Secretary, alleging that the government was replacing one official with another facing corruption allegations.
In a post on X, Dipke said, "The government is rewarding corruption instead of ensuring accountability!" Claiming that the incoming IAS officer faces "severe multi-crore corruption charges," Dipke said the move was "a direct INSULT to young people across India."
"The entire crisis around paper leaks and NEET was about systemic corruption. Replacing one bureaucrat with another facing serious corruption allegations is a direct INSULT to young people across India," he wrote.
Reiterating the CJP's stand, Dipke added, "This is not accountability. We will not stop until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns."
The government is rewarding corruption instead of ensuring accountability!
— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) July 24, 2026
Last night, the Education Secretary was transferred. He was replaced by an IAS officer from the Animal Husbandry Department who has severe multi-crore corruption charges against him.
The entire crisis…
A total of 18 Metro stations have been shut in Delhi-NCR.
Lok Kalyan Marg, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Ramakrishna Ashram Marg, Barakhambha Road, Supreme Court, Seva Teerth, Janpath, Mandi House Central Secretariat, ITO, Delhi Gate, Indraprastha, Khan Market, Jor Bagh, Shivaji Stadium, Jhandewalan and New Delhi metro stations have been closed.
Centre-CJP delegation meet lasted for almost two hours.
Cockroach Janta Party's National Spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said that the government has sought time till tomorrow afternoon over the demand for Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. He said that he hopes that the Centre will remove him soon.
He also added that the Centre has expressed in-principle approval on demands, including compensation for kins of NEET aspirants who died by suicide and withdrawal of FIRs and legal cases on students who protested on Monday.
The party said that it will stand in solidarity with students on NEET/CBSE issues.
Candlelight March and Satyagraha at District Level on 25th July 2026 in Solidarity with Students on NEET/CBSE Issues, Condemning Brutal Assaults on Students. pic.twitter.com/hK8XqG0IBd
— Congress (@INCIndia) July 24, 2026
Referring to the man standing beside him, Rahul Gandhi said, "My brother was injured by a pellet gun while he was peacefully protesting, holding the Tricolour. His eye has suffered damage, and he has lost his vision. Thousands of such youngsters were lathi-charged, and pellet guns were used against them.
Notably, the victim had given an exam for the police recruitment exam, whose paper was leaked.
"Videos surfaced on social media on Friday showing a man asserting he resigned from the Delhi Police as a constable in support of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar," a claim authorities rejected.
The Directorate General Home Guards, Delhi government, said in an X post that the individual posting reels/videos on Instagram as Ravi Lovey has been identified as Ravi Kumar.
"He is not a Delhi Police constable and has no association with the Delhi Police," the directorate said.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Friday claimed that the Delhi police's crackdown on the Cockroach Janta Party's 'Sansad Chalo' march seemed like an act of "revenge" rather than crowd control.
Thackeray, in a post on X, questioned the alleged use of force against students protesting the NEET paper leak, and remarked that if teachers face action for meting out corporal punishments, the same should apply to the police who assaulted students and those who ordered them to do so.
"One can understand if the police had resorted to mild lathi-charge to disperse protesting students, but what was witnessed appeared like some kind of revenge," he wrote.
He claimed that videos circulating on social media showed not only protesting students but also several bystanders being beaten during the police action, alleging that such force would not have been used without orders from higher authorities.
I have a question: if teachers face disciplinary action for hitting students in school, why is no action taken against the police officers in Delhi who beat students, or against those who issued such orders?
— Raj Thackeray (@RajThackeray) July 24, 2026
During the ongoing student protests in Delhi, the police have been… pic.twitter.com/tpStkZg6Qd
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Friday announced that it would launch a dedicated website to gather photographs and videos from protesters to identify police personnel allegedly involved in the July 20 crackdown during the 'Sansad Chalo' march, saying it would seek FIRs against the officers and move court.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das alleged that police personnel assaulted students and molested women protesters during the police action.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has terminated 47 officials and said that legal, criminal action to be taken against some, according to sources.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Friday alleged that anti-social elements who sneaked into the CJP-led protest against the NEET question paper leak issue indulged in attacks against police and journalists, while Congress and other opposition parties are trying to defame the BJP.
Sanjay Kumar said the government allowed protests in Delhi and ensured security by considering the protesters to be students.
"In these circumstances, we have seen how some anti-social elements joined (the protest) in the guise of students and created destruction, including attacks on police personnel and journalists, raising anti-national, anti-sanatan, unrelated and provocative slogans," he told reporters here.
He said about 118 policemen and journalists suffered injuries during the march to parliament in Delhi earlier this week.
However, police personnel observed restraint and only acted against anti-social elements by resorting to lathicharge, Sanjay Kumar claimed.
Delhi Police has constituted a Special Task Force (STF) within its Crime Branch to investigate paper leaks and other exam-related offences, according to an official order.
The move has been approved under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act by the police commissioner.
According to a Delhi Police statement, the measure is aimed at ensuring prompt, professional and comprehensive investigation into offences involving recruitment and entrance examinations conducted by various central agencies.
Delhi Police on Friday dismissed as "false, baseless and misleading" social media claims that food delivery app services has been banned across the New Delhi area.
In a clarification, police said no such restriction has been imposed and urged citizens not to believe or share unverified information circulating on social media.
People have been advised to rely only on official sources for authentic updates, police said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday thanked people for their responses and positive suggestions to his video announcing the government's decision to bring a stringent law to punish those involved in paper leaks.
"Thank you, friends. I got the opportunity to talk to you at midnight. The way you have responded to my video, positive suggestions given by you, thanks to everybody. Your love will continue to flow; our relations will continue with more bonding. Thank you, thank you friends," he said in a fresh video message released through his Instagram handle.
