CJP Protest in Delhi LIVE: Wangchuk Agrees To End Hunger Strike, Seeks No Legal Action Against Protesters

The Centre has ordered the deployment to strengthen security measures in view of the CJP protests and demonstrations by various political parties, officials said on Wednesday.

The forces, all drawn from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), are being airlifted from West Bengal after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) ordered their immediate deployment in the national capital on Tuesday night.

A total of 20 CRPF companies are being airlifted from Kolkata to be deployed in Delhi to strengthen law and order in view of the CJP protests, demonstrations by various political parties and the ongoing Parliament session, official sources in the security establishment told PTI.

Multiple instances of violent clashes during the latest protests have necessitated this immediate deployment, they said.

They said these companies were deployed in West Bengal for the conduct of assembly elections held there a few months back and were asked to stay put on the request of the state government, they said.

A CRPF company has a strength of about 100 personnel.

About 30 companies of the CRPF and its specialised anti-riots unit Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been provided by the Centre to the Delhi Police already.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announced that four metro stations in the capital have been shut off to the public citing security measures.

Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk and Central Secretariat metro stations have been closed without intimation of its reopening.

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till noon on Wednesday after Opposition parties continued to protest police action against students protesting the NEET examination paper leak.

As soon as Leader of the Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge started speaking on the issue, ruling party members began shouting. Opposition members also shouted back.

Kharge alleged that the protesting students were lathi-charged and police also used tear gas.

Most of the Congress MPs were wearing black shirts and kurtas to protest against police action on students.

Amid the uproar, Chairman C P Radhakrishnan adjourned the House till 12 noon.

- PTI

Following Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announcet to close of four stations; Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk and Central Secretariat, the authority has since extend the list to now a total of 16 closed metro stations.

However, Interchange facility shall remain available at Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House and Central Secretariat.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused an urgent listing of a plea challenging the police action against students during the Cockroach Janta Party-led protest in Delhi.

"I have the videos as well regarding police brutality... If it can be listed tomorrow (Thursday)... students are there," the petitioner's lawyer told the bench.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant declined the request, saying, "We are not interested in videos, we don't have time to watch... We don't want to watch videos."

When the counsel reiterated that students had been beaten up and again referred to the video evidence, the CJI said, "Don't waste our time. We don't want to watch any videos." 

The plea relates to the July 20 protest march to Parliament, during which police used lathis and tear gas to disperse students protesting against alleged examination irregularities.

During the Lok Sabha Session Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju claimed that Govt ready to hold discussion on NEET paper leak issue.

Additionally Lok Sabha has been adjounred till 2PM citing relentless opposition protests.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, dressed in black in solidarity with protesting students, on Wednesday accused the government of stifling debate in Parliament and suppressing peaceful protests.

"The Speaker says he has to ask the government whether a debate can take place. What is this? Democracy is finished," she told reporters in Parliament.

Defending Tuesday's opposition sit-in outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, Priyanka said, "We are standing with the students and raising their voice. What happened to the students, was it right or wrong?"

Her remarks came as Rahul Gandhi and other opposition MPs, also dressed in black, protested in Parliament over the alleged police action against students during the July 20 march over examination irregularities.

Senior DMK leader T K S Elangovan on Wednesday reiterated the party's demand to abolish NEET, alleging the exam benefits coaching centres and paper leak networks while disadvantaging deserving students.

"Why NEET when students can get good marks in their school final examination?" Elangovan said, arguing that students from poorer backgrounds are unfairly excluded because they cannot afford coaching.

Backing Rahul Gandhi's protests over alleged police action against students, he said, "If he starts speaking in Parliament, the Speaker or the Chairman will adjourn the house and run away. So he had to fight from the street."

The DMK has consistently opposed NEET and called for medical admissions to be based on Class 12 board examination marks.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday urged the opposition to allow a discussion in Parliament, saying the government was ready to debate any issue but objected to "preconditions" that stalled proceedings.

"If there is a discussion, every member has the right to express whatever they wish... But if you impose conditions to stop the discussion, it means you don't want a discussion," Rijiju said.

He added, "The government does not run away from any issue," and appealed to the opposition not to "adopt such an approach that stops the discussion." Rijiju also rejected allegations that opposition leaders were being denied an opportunity to speak, saying debates take place under established parliamentary rules.

Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital on Wednesday said the 21-year-old woman injured during the July 20 student protest has shown "encouraging clinical improvement."

According to the hospital, she has been taken off the ventilator, is breathing on her own, and is conscious and responding to commands. Her MRI scans of the brain and spine are normal.

The hospital added that she is the only patient currently admitted in connection with the protest and continues to receive treatment under close medical supervision.

"It is shameful that the Modi government is using tear gas against the students. The youth are protesting because examination papers have leaked and 20 students have died by suicide. What kind of government are you? When farmers were protesting, you tear-gassed them as well and also called them 'Khalistanis'. When women wrestlers were protesting, you did not have a dialogue with them? What is the Modi government scared of the youth, women wrestlers, farmers? You should talk to the youth openly. The entire Opposition is united to raise our voice and say that voilence cannot be used against the students. Why isn't Dharmendra Pradhan resigning? This issue will not be resolved by using tear gas and lathis, but by dialogue. The way tear gas was used against the students shows that you(BJP) are a failed government."

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj on Wednesday said the government had maintained a sensitive approach towards the movement led by the CJP and other parties, which was initially described as a student protest.

Speaking to ANI, Swaraj said the Delhi Police had granted permission to Abhijeet Dipke at the airport itself and that the permission remained valid till 5 pm. However, she said the protesters continued their sit-in at Jantar Mantar for 21 days.

According to Times Now, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi is on the way to Jantar Mantar to participate and show support for the ongoing CJP protest being held there.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has appealed to Sonam Wangchuk to call off his ongoing hunger strike, expressing concern over his health and stating that his life is too valuable to be put at further risk.

In a post on X, Dipke urged Wangchuk to end the fast, while stating that the peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar would continue until their demands are addressed.

According to ANI, a delegation of the Samajwadi Party will meet Wangchuk at Medanta Hospital this evening to appeal to him to break his indefinite fast.

CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said protesters are willing to hold talks with the government but want a fair and open-minded discussion on their demands. He claimed authorities had reached out earlier as well and welcomed support for the peaceful protest. Das also condemned the police action against Rahul Gandhi and other MPs.

Social activist Sonam Wangchuk was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on Tuesday evening and is currently undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the hospital said in a health update.

According to Medanta Hospital, Wangchuk is being treated by a multidisciplinary team of doctors. The hospital said he is presently stable, oriented, and that his vital signs are within accepted parameters.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday questioned the police action against students protesting over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak, saying they were peacefully demanding a fair education system.

Addressing the media in Delhi, Gandhi asked why security forces were being deployed against students who were protesting peacefully for their rights. He said students were only seeking an education system that was fair and accountable.

Referring to the alleged paper leak, Gandhi said students had endured immense stress and uncertainty, with some even dying by suicide. He criticised the government's handling of the issue, saying students deserved to be heard and their concerns addressed.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Centre of making the education system unaffordable, saying the financial burden of preparing for NEET-UG falls heavily on families.

Addressing the media in Delhi, he argued that the issue went beyond alleged paper leaks, claiming the system itself was financially inaccessible. Gandhi alleged that families collectively spend nearly as much on NEET preparation as the Union government's annual education budget.

Calling it an unfair burden, he said students and their families face huge costs, only to confront alleged examination irregularities, fuelling widespread protests.

Congress MP Rajiv Shukla on Wednesday questioned the Centre's refusal to seek the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan amid the ongoing NEET-UG controversy.

Speaking to the media in Delhi, Shukla said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had not indicated that the government was willing to consider Pradhan's resignation. He added that the Opposition had been demanding the Education Minister's resignation since the first day of the controversy and questioned why the government was unwilling to act on the demand.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre and Delhi Police on a batch of petitions alleging excessive use of force during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest march to Parliament earlier this week.

Hearing the matter, a bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia observed that the allegations could not be treated as isolated incidents requiring individual complaints. “Had it been an isolated incident, the situation would have been different,” the court remarked.

The matter will be heard after the Centre and Delhi Police file their responses.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk said that he will end his fast after government gives him assurance that the protesters who participated in the CJP's march will not face any punitive legal action.

In a letter addressed to Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, Wangchuk thanked them for visiting him in the hospital and assuring him that the Centre will consider CJP's earlier demands.

He also said that once he recieve government assurance of no legal action then he will also appeal to the peacefully protesting students to halt the movement for now and enter into dialogue with the government

DMK MP Kanimozhi on Wednesday participated in a students’ protest at Jantar Mantar, saying that entrance examinations create hurdles for the dreams and aspirations of underprivileged students. She extended support to the protesting students and raised concerns over the challenges faced by those seeking equal opportunities in education.

AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj claimed that more than one lakh people, mostly from the Gen Z generation, had gathered at Jantar Mantar during the ongoing protest at 6 PM. He shared the claim in a post on X.