Chaos During CJP March to Parliament: Police Use Tear Gas, Lathi Charge to Disperse Protesters (VIDEO)
Police used sticks and batons to disperse the hundred of youth protesters attempting to march to the parliament from Jantar Mantar on Monday, reports said.
Visuals shared by news agency ANI showed security personnel in riot gear facing off with crowds of protesters, some of whom were carrying the Indian national flag.
#WATCH | Delhi | Protesters gathered for CJP's protest march clash with RPF personnel at Jantar Mantar; RPF personnel & police use lathis for crowd control pic.twitter.com/gijaCjJksW
— ANI (@ANI) July 20, 2026
Several people can be seen being hit by the police and deterred from pushing through the heavy security deployment.
There was no immediate statement from India's security forces.
DW’s Shalu Yadav reported that as police personnel tried closing in on the protesters, the huge crowds pushed them back from the opposite side.
CJP says in talks with government amid protest
The Modi government has reached out for talks with the Cockroach Janta Party, the protest movement's chief spokesperson Saurav Das said on X.
Das said that he and Ashutosh Ranka, another spokesperson, were on their way to meet federal Health Minister JP Nadda.
"The government had reached out for talks in the morning. Our demands are clear. The youth has gathered in huge numbers," Das said speaking of the youth protest that has gripped the capital.
#IMPORTANT: It’s 11:52 AM. Ashutosh Ranka and I, on behalf of the Cockroach Janta Party, are on our way to meet J.P. Nadda. The government had reached out for talks in the morning. Our demands are clear. The youth has gathered in huge numbers.
— Saurav Das (@SauravDassss) July 20, 2026
We shall win!
There was no immediate statement from the government on the talks.
Police use tear gas to disperse protesters, say reports
Police fired tear gas after protesters tried to breach security barricades to march on to the parliament in New Delhi, media reports said on Monday afternoon.
"Stop using tear gas on the youth in front of the Parliament. Choose the path of dialogue instead of repression.,” the Cockroach Janta Party said on X, sharing a video purportedly showing tear gas fired at the protesters.
संसद के सामने युवाओं पर आँसू गैस छोड़ना बंद कीजिए।
— Cockroach Janta Party (@CJP_for_India) July 20, 2026
दमन की बजाय संवाद का रास्ता चुनिए।#संसद_मार्च pic.twitter.com/C2MHT55Mpk
Delhi youth protest: What is happening on the ground?
A police official has told DW's Shalu Yadav that over 100,000 people have descended on the streets of the Indian capital for the protest.
"The protest is not showing any signs of abating," Yadav reports, adding that people are angry and trying to break the barricades.
Yadav also reports that some people have been injured in the ensuing chaos.
Indian media reports say that some protesters and police personnel have been injured in clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
Cockroach party says founder Abhijeet Dipke detained amid massive protest march
Cockroach Janta Party’s founder Abhijeet Dipke has been "picked up" by the police, the movement’s chief spokesperson Saurav Das said on X on Monday afternoon.
Das also alleged the police was "brutally" cracking down on the protesters.
The reported detention comes as Das and another spokesman held talks with the country’s health minister earlier in the day.
#JustIn: DIPKE HAS BEEN PICKED UP BY THE POLICE!
— Saurav Das (@SauravDassss) July 20, 2026
WE REQUEST ALL MPs TO IMMEDIATELY STAND IN SUPPORT OF THE STUDENTS ON THE STREETS!
THE POLICE IS BRUTALLY CRACKING DOWN AND BEATING UP PEACEFUL PROTESTERS.
"While we submit a written letter...he (Health Minister Nadda) has assured us that he will meanwhile speak internally. We are in that process," Das said on X, saying that the meeting lasted "10 minutes."
There has yet to be an official confirmation of Dipke's detention.
India's Education Minister meets Home Minister Amit Shah — reports
India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, as thousands of youth demonstrators in New Delhi tried to breach security cordons in a protest march seeking Pradhan’s resignation, Indian media reports said.
The agenda of the reported meeting was not immediately clear.
Dipke 'not in detention or arrest,' says CJP after reporting he'd been 'picked up'
After earlier saying that Cockroach Janta Party's founder Abhijeet Dipke had been "picked up" by the police, the movement's chief spokesperson said that Dipke was "not in detention or arrest."
UPDATE: Dipke not in detention or arrest. A HUGE CROWD is still outside Kerala House. https://t.co/NneFV6VMa5
— Saurav Das (@SauravDassss) July 20, 2026
The CJP did not immediately give any further details.
Eyes are 'burning,' protesters tell DW after tear gas fired during Delhi protest
DW spoke to young protesters as thousands of demonstrators who have taken to the streets of the Indian capital were met with baton charge and tear gas on Monday.
"We were only going to ask for our rights. They are dispersing tear gas. We can't breathe, our eyes are red. We are taking paper from the toilets to clean our eyes," a protester told DW's Adil Bhat.
Protesters were seen wearing scarves, covering their mouths and noses.
"About a minute back, they threw tear gas at us. I threw the canister back. Imagine how people without a respiratory mask would be faring right now. My eyes are burning. They are using tear gas on youngsters," another protester, who had traveled from the western Indian city of Pune, told Bhat before he proceeded to rinse his eyes using bottled water.
