New Delhi:
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which is spearheading the student protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, has accused the Delhi Police of preventing people from sending food to the demonstrators at the protest site.
In a post on X, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka shared a screenshot of a WhatsApp chat, claiming that the Delhi Police have set up checkpoints about 5 km from Jantar Mantar, where students heading to the demonstration are allegedly being detained.
“Dear Delhi Police, do whatever you want. You cannot stop people from coming to Jantar Mantar. You cannot stop people from having food. You cannot stop people from helping us. Most importantly, you cannot stop Pradhan’s resignation. He is going,” Ranka wrote.
Dear @DelhiPolice,
Do whatever you want to. You cannot stop people from coming to Jantar Mantar. You cannot stop people from having food. You cannot stop people from helping us.
Most importantly, you cannot stop Pradhan’s resignation. He is going. pic.twitter.com/mxJuPOws0J
— Ashutosh Ranka (@AshutoshRanka) July 25, 2026
Social media claims have been doing the rounds that Delhi Police imposed a complete ban on food delivery services, including Swiggy, Zomato and other platforms, across the New Delhi area amid the ongoing protests at Jantar Mantar.
The Delhi Police have, however, promptly rejected such reports, calling them “false, baseless and misleading”. The police have made it clear that no ban has been imposed on food delivery services in the New Delhi area and urged people not to believe rumours circulating on social media.
🚨 FAKE NEWS ALERT 🚨
Rumours are circulating on social media claiming that Delhi Police has imposed a ban on food delivery app services across the New Delhi area.
This claim is completely false, baseless, and misleading. Delhi Police has not imposed any ban on food delivery…
— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) July 24, 2026
The controversy began after several media reports claimed that Delhi Police had traced restaurants and cafés supplying food to protesters by examining discarded food packets, wrappers and packaging material found at the protest site.
According to these reports, police officers visited several restaurants and cafés and examined records of orders and deliveries made over the past few days.
Some business owners claimed that they were asked to provide details of online orders, complimentary food supplied and the individuals responsible for arranging the deliveries.
A few restaurant owners also alleged that they were summoned to police stations for questioning. According to these restaurant owners, police officers told them that anti-social elements could be present among the protesters and advised them to refrain from sending free food to the protest site in the future.
Some business owners also claimed that they were advised to remain cautious about large online orders and to verify such deliveries before accepting them.
Meanwhile, a traffic advisory issued by Delhi Traffic Police added to the confusion. The advisory stated that, in view of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS, citizens should avoid unnecessary travel to the notified areas and use alternate routes.
It also advised app-based mobility services, food delivery platforms, logistics companies and e-commerce operators to regulate their operations within the restricted area to help maintain public safety and law and order.
🚨 Traffic Advisory
In view of the prohibitory orders under Section 163 BNSS, 2023, citizens are advised to avoid unnecessary travel to the notified area and use alternate routes wherever possible.
App-based mobility, ride-hailing, food delivery, logistics and e-commerce… pic.twitter.com/k3mYGU0I52
— Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) July 24, 2026
Many social media users interpreted this advisory as a ban on food delivery services, leading to confusion.
Following the circulation of these claims, Delhi Police issued an official clarification on its social media handle. The statement read: “Rumours are circulating on social media claiming that Delhi Police has imposed a ban on food delivery app services across the New Delhi area. This claim is completely false, baseless and misleading. Delhi Police has not imposed any ban on food delivery services in the New Delhi area.”
