Thousands gathered in support of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led march to Parliament on Monday, defying a Delhi Police crackdown that saw the deployment of batons and tear gas shells to disperse crowds that repeatedly regrouped.

Both police personnel and protesters were injured in clashes through the day, with over 100 people detained as the police struggled to maintain order in central Delhi.

The protest, reminiscent of the 2019 anti-CAA agitation, saw the government engage CJP leaders for the first time in a month since they began their sit-in on June 20, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.

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Union Minister JP Nadda met CJP’s Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who presented their demands, including Pradhan’s ouster. While the government asked the protesters to end their sit-in as it considered the CJP memorandum, activist Sonam Wangchuk announced that he would continue his fast until youth leaders were allowed to meet MPs in Parliament or MPs were allowed to meet him at the hospital where he is undergoing treatment.

Wangchuk’s hunger strike entered its 23rd day on Monday, even as CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke ended his fast.

The day saw groups of protesters repeatedly trying to breach barricades to reach Parliament, while the police virtually sealed every approach to the high-security zone.

Multi-layered barricades and heavy deployment of security personnel locked down Jantar Mantar and surrounding roads, including Connaught Place, Janpath, Parliament Street and Raisina Road, leaving demonstrators hemmed in with little room to move forward or disperse.

As crowds swelled, security personnel launched successive lathi charges to push protesters back, while tear gas shells were fired at several locations.

On the ground, The Tribune correspondent witnessed prolonged face-offs between Delhi Police, Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel and protesters, leading to stampede-like situations at multiple locations, with protesters breaking barricades and security forces pushing them back.

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At least 50 police personnel and protesters were injured and admitted to different hospitals, police sources said.

This correspondent also witnessed isolated instances of violence directed at police personnel, with a section of protesters attacking officials during clashes. The police sources claimed some people in the crowd threw stones, forcing them to resort to lathi charge and tear gas shelling.

In one incident near Regal Cinema, a protester was seen throwing stones at the police. When asked why he was resorting to violence, he said, “They brutally hit my friend. They are hitting us wherever they find us. Now if they hit us, we will hit back.”

Though such incidents were isolated, they underscored the tension that gripped the capital throughout the day, with nearly 9,000 security personnel, including paramilitary forces, deployed to control the surging crowds.

By evening, the CJP protest stage at Jantar Mantar had been dismantled, even as protesters regrouped near the site. At several locations, this correspondent spotted people in casual clothing chasing away protesters and assaulting them. At another location, a group of protesters was seen assaulting a police official.

Parliament gates and several office buildings remained out of bounds for long periods as the Home Ministry ordered suspension of Internet services in two phases -- from 8 am to noon and from noon to 6 pm. The temporary suspension was ordered by the MHA under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.

The police said the Internet clampdown was necessary to prevent the spread of misinformation on social media, with several posts under investigation. As panic spread across the city, the police repeatedly took to X to dispel what it described as rumours.

The police said force was used only after repeated attempts by protesters to violate prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which bars unlawful assemblies except at designated protest sites with prior permission.

Reacting to the developments, Dipke told The Tribune, “The police made sure that no protester could escape brutality. I repeatedly asked protesters not to engage in violence as we do not favour it.”

In a late evening message, Wangchuk hailed the peaceful protesters and condemned the use of police force against them.

CJP spokespersons claimed several protesters had suffered head injuries. The police, however, denied using indiscriminate force, saying they acted only to enforce prohibitory orders as Parliament’s Monsoon Session began on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Dipke ended his indefinite hunger strike following appeals from Wangchuk and after the government opened talks with the CJP. Addressing protesters at Jantar Mantar later, Dipke said the agitation had entered a new phase, even as he accused the authorities of responding to peaceful protesters with police brutality.

CJP leaders, meanwhile, continued their sit-in at Jantar Mantar just hours after Nadda urged them to end the agitation and help restore normalcy.