New Delhi:
Mobile internet has been suspended within a 1.5-km radius of Jantar Mantar till midnight, as student protests continue to rage in the Capital. Jantar Mantar is the protest site of the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which bans large gatherings, has also been imposed outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence, with police issuing warnings in the area.
The standoff has also affected business in the capital. All shops and restaurants in Connaught Place were shut after 6.30 pmtoday, following an advisory from the New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA).
Sharing the NDTA advisory on X, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal asked whether the government was planning a crackdown at Jantar Mantar tonight. Delhi Police responded in a statement, saying, “There is no plan of Delhi Police to crack down on the ongoing protest tonight as is being conveyed. You are advised to refrain from spreading or circulating any misleading or unverified information.”
Photo Credit: PTI
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Meanwhile, opposition MPs and leaders of the INDIA alliance reached Gandhi Smriti memorial on Delhi’s Tees January Marg on Thursday after a meeting on the crackdown on protesters, held at the Leader of the Opposition’s residence at Sunheri Bagh.
Talks between CJP and Centre have remained stalled as protests have entered their 34th day. The Centre said it had reached out four times without receiving a response.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh, after meeting Home Minister Amit Shah, said the “government’s doors are open always for talks with students” and that protesters were welcome to meet at BJP president J P Nadda’s residence or office. but the party said it would only meet at “a neutral place near Jantar Mantar.”
The offer for talks comes days after tens of thousands of student protesters led by the CJP attempted to march on Parliament, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak.
CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka met Union Minister JP Nadda on Monday, the same day protesters, mostly young students, converged on Parliament on the opening day of the Monsoon Session.
The party said it submitted a letter outlining their demands, after the government reached out to them that morning. Nadda confirmed the meeting took place, describing the atmosphere as “cordial”, but said the proposal for talks had come from the protesters.
That same day, Delhi Police fired tear gas and baton-charged protesters. Witnesses said dozens on both sides, protesters and police alike, were left injured. Footage showing officers striking and dragging away protestors made the rounds on social media, deepening public anger over the handling of the protests.
The protests gained momentum over the weekend after activist Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly taken to hospital by police.
