Protesters from Jamia Millia Islamia fighting for the establishment of student unions were allegedly manhandled and forcibly evicted at dawn time before being taken into custody following fresh protests at the same university.
An early morning operation at the Jamia Millia Islamia University on Saturday, October 17, witnessed students on hunger strike being forcefully evicted from the protest site by security officials of the university, before police arrest during the protests at the university.
As per The New Indian Express, security personnel arrived at about 5.30 am at the protest site near Gate Number Seven. Allegations from the students were that about 60 security guards, along with the chief proctor and the security advisor of the university, forcibly removed the students’ setup and protesters from the campus.
The students alleged that the eviction exercise involved physical assault and injuries to some protesters. One of the protesters on hunger strike, Ebin Basil, reportedly told The New Indian Express that he was physically assaulted during the eviction. The other hunger striker, Jasim Khan, who started hunger strike on October 12, was reportedly hospitalized.
This incident further sparked more demonstrations, as the students protested against the way in which the hunger strikers were being treated. As per ThePrint, several students were detained when protesters made their way into the university through Gate No. 7. It is reported that those students who were detained were released after around an hour.
The detentions have caused further complications in the case of the protest, as the student organizations questioned the application of force by police. The All India Students’ Association (AISA) called for an investigation regarding the assault on the students and demanded that the chief proctor of the university Asad Malik resign.
However, the administration of the university stated that the security officials of the university used force in self-defense as per The Times of India. In light of conflicting statements from the administration and the students, it is unclear whether any action will be taken against the force used against students.
As long as the slogans of resistance have echoed in the history of our nation, ‘Azaadi’ and ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ have remained at its core. Today, however, the same chants and the same spirit of protesting that had given rise to us as a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic, become the biggest threat to the ‘rulers’ (or in better terms, government) of our land.
The year is 2026, and it is only the second week of October; the year is yet to be over, and the people are yet to be heard. Some decades earlier it was 1975, and it was the early month of March; the Emergency had been declared, and the people were already enraged. About 79 years ago it was 1947, and the month of August; the colonial rule was soon to be over, the people were soon to be heard.
There is never a democracy, at least a true one, where there isn’t dissent. What fundamentally makes a nation a democracy is the existence of a thesis, an anti-thesis, and ultimately a synthesis, in the middle of which functions a government—one that must not only heed to its voters, but also its non-voters and dissenters. It is these dissenters, that often take shape of the opposition party, an Instagram/X page, or people marching on the streets with concrete demands that make the ruling government earn respect; not by brutally detaining the people who march with their voice and placards, but by letting people resist, dissent, and protest, while addressing them democratically.
The changing face of our democracy is probably reflected at its highest coverage in the capital city. For decades, the urban residents of Delhi have quietly witnessed the atrocities breaking across Manipur and Kashmir, along with the labouring and farming class of rural India who have by now learnt to live with internet shutdowns, gunfires, brutal detentions, complete lockdowns, and a long list of restrictions that could be debated as constitutionally wrong—the Delhites remained quiet for they never once believed the same atrocities could come knocking at their doorstep. They, just like all of us, were wrong.
Today is 10th October, 2026, and somehow it feels like the 1920s as a lot of the youth who’ve only heard of those days in the stories, histories, and documentaries of the yesteryears would say. Some have even gone to the extent of calling this a remembrance of Indira Gandhi’s 1975 Emergency, but possibly worse. Shashi Tharoor in his wordplay of affairs writes,
“Gen Z deserves better than an undeclared Emer-GenZ.”
Image Credits: Shashi Tharoor on X
Delhi is officially, on papers, locked down—45 metro stations have been closed, X numbers of individuals from across the city have been detained, leaders of opposition parties like CJP, CPI(M), AISA, and more have been detained, incoming trains have been cancelled, and roads have been closed throughout the city with the Delhi Police doing the best job they have ever done in making sure order, safety, and ruliness is maintained. If this isn’t a declaration of Internal Emergency, one is to wonder what truly is.
Irony remains here, that the citizens who leave the comfort of their homes to walk on the streets amidst the brutal sun and police, are here protesting for answers on the integrity of elections—the same medium through which the current government remains elected by a majority, as they continue to maintain.
Just like the Delhi Police, even the University of Delhi has tried its best to keep its students in the classroom. While Zakir Hussain College (Evening), Satyawati College (Evening), Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences, and SBSC have let its students stay at home and attend online classes, women’s colleges of Delhi that happen to be regarded as “apolitical spaces” have once again risen to the occasion—Maitreyi College assured double attendance for all students who came to classes while Lady Shri Ram College witnessed more discussion on cancelling its Garba Event than on addressing concerns of offline classes. The issue here is more than just students wanting to attend the protest—DU doesn’t just have hostellers or students occupying nearby PGs, it has a larger number of day scholars who commute from as far as Faridabad and Ghaziabad to the city. With roads closed, main metros restricted, buses a less than feasible option, and Rapidos unable to function without a massive fare hike, the concern is about reaching college on time before the teachers shut the door on your face for an 8:45 A.M. lecture.
Screenshot of a Maitreyi College Official Group Chat (Credits: AISA Maitreyi)
Yet, despite the fear of RAF and CAPF being called in, the attendance bribery offered to students, and the detention of leaders right from their residence or the airport the morning of the protests, people are on the streets. They, however, are confused.
If there’s one thing India should have learnt from its history of protesting, it is that a disorganised movement has no outcome. On the 4th of October, the protestors walking from India Gate to Jantar Mantar, after losing its leader, Neha Bora and her fellow AISA comrades to the detaining police force began to scramble—they ran after the detaining buses shouting and in a spur of confusion ended up getting detained themselves. 10th October, one can only hope, has been different.
Scenes from the 4th October Protest (Credits: Mananya for DU Beat)
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of CJP—detained.
Neha Bora, AISA President—detained.
M.A. Baby, CPI(M) General Secretary—detained.
Ronak Khatri, Ex DUSU President—detained.
Arvind Kejriwal, Ex Delhi CM and National Convenor AAP—detained.
Lawyers and Journalists—detained.
Common People—detained.
While the leaders sit in buses at undisclosed locations, the public, that is, the ordinary people, many of whom have risked travelling from across the city if not other states, remain in a state of perplexity. From Jantar Mantar and ITO to Dilli Haat and Safdarjung Flyover, the people have taken to brainstorming new routes with the city’s auto bhaiyas and rickshawalas being the biggest supporters of the mass resistance. As disorganised as it may be, the people—both the ones sitting in detention vans since 11:30 AM and the ones running from the police and sitting down wherever the protest location next evolves—are angry. In fact, they are furious, tired, and hopeless. They demand a change, one that should be larger than simply a resignation but systematic, and shouldn’t vanish the minute one demand is met. In July it was for NEET. In October it is for Anti-CEC and SIR, and in the future, the right to protest shouldn’t be one that is met with brutality and disapproval, but one that is welcomed with peace, dialogue, resolution, and hopefully a Prime Minister’s Press Conference with media houses that are yet to be bought—a utopia, one day we hope our nation achieves.
As 10th October slowly closes and midnight approaches, one is to wonder, if at the stroke of midnight, Delhi will awaken to lesser restrictions and more freedom to dissent. If at every moment of dissent the government calls machinery of the state like the Police and Army to back it up at the cost of brutality towards its dissenting citizens, who will suffer—their non-dissenting citizens. If this is indeed the State’s ‘divide and rule’ policy: that they shall use the “inconvenience” caused by the protesting public to the non-protesting crowd, then one is to wonder about the success rates of it.
Today the protest may die down. Tomorrow it will rise again. Today might’ve been a Saturday with fewer offices and colleges open. Monday will be a weekday with more offices and colleges open.
One can only hope that the people stay, no matter the level of brutality, detention, and hiding away of leadership. One can only hope that this rage at being attacked, simply for being on the streets demanding accountability for a wrong, can be cultivated into a peaceful resistance that is met with systematic changes and not the sacrifice of only one member of the ruling party. It is through these hopes that protests like these sustain, and when a country finally awakens after years of being silent, one can expect the government to finally realise that its people will be exhausted, not by the protests, but by their lack of empathy, response, and accountability.
Students of the Delhi School of Journalism protested, demanding the resignation of OSD Dr. Sanjay Verma over alleged gender and caste discrimination, alongside fundamental changes in faculty recruitment, internal assessments, student funds, and infrastructure facilities.
On October 8, 2026, students of the Delhi School of Journalism (DSJ), University of Delhi, organized a walkout during a lecture part of the weekly lecture series, as soon as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Dr. Sanjay Verma, took the stage for his address. The students stood on their seats, raised posters and slogans for the resignation of Dr. Verma, before proceeding to walk out in front of the dignitaries and guest speakers.
The students allege persistent gender-based harassment, including the use of sexist, abusive language; gender harassment; and psychological torture specifically targeted against female students. The students have also accused the faculty and administration of engaging in caste vilification, victimisation of marginalized students, as well as breaches of academic ethics that warrant immediate punitive termination.
The professors allegedly threatened students with academic failure and arbitrary marks if they challenged authority.
The students have also raised concerns regarding arbitrary evaluation and opaqueness in the calculation of Internal Assessment marks, demanding a standardised, transparent grading measure to avoid personal vendettas and institutional corruption. Moreover, the lack of transparent re-checking and re-evaluation procedures makes students vulnerable to malicious grading. Students also allege manipulation of attendance records and are raising demands for a real-time, tamper-proof digital attendance portal to prevent arbitrary academic disqualifications.
The students have also raised complaints regarding infrastructure collapse, especially the uninhabitable state of female washrooms. According to the students, the female washrooms lack locks, have shattered doors, and are unhygienic, exposing students to privacy breaches and health hazards. Students also report a lack of basic medical or first-aid facilities, hazardous electrical wiring, broken furniture, and decayed academic spots.
According to the students, the media studio lacks any operational functionality, alongside a deficiency of basic functional laboratories such as broadcast production, digital editing, and audio engineering, creating obstacles in practical media training.
Additionally, students have to rely on contaminated or non-functional drinking water units due to negligence in servicing water coolers. The students also report heavy library fees despite limited access to research databases, literature, or physical infrastructure.
According to a student, the college lacks basic infrastructure, which negatively affects academics. Despite repeated complaints, the authorities have not taken any action, which affects students’ overall college experience. The student asked the authorities how long they would have to wait before any serious steps are taken.
However, the authorities refused to negotiate with the students, and the lectures reportedly continued to function normally despite students carrying out the protest. From the college campus, the protest moved to the Vice-Chancellor’s office as students raised demands for reform. According to many students, these instances of gender and caste discrimination have been occurring for over a year with no action by the authorities. The protest was then joined by the Vice President of Delhi University Students’ Union, Deepanshu Shokeen, who reportedly broke the college gate lock to enter the premises, and the Joint Secretary, Lakshay Raj Singh.
A team of students’ representatives was later allowed to meet the Dean of Students’ Welfare as they raised their concerns and demanded immediate reforms, including the resignation of Dr. Sanjay Verma. The students later returned to the college with the reassurance of an inquiry into the matter.
Delhi Police detained over 700 protesters, including opposition leaders and student activists, on October 2, as roads were sealed and Metro stations shut ahead of a demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
Delhi Police detained over 700 protesters on Friday, 2 October, as demonstrators attempted to reach Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. According to Outlook, protesters put the figure at over 600 by the afternoon, while police officials later estimated around 700. Earlier reports, including one by The Logical Indian, cited more than 100 detentions.
Among those detained were Aam Aadmi Party leaders Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sanjay Singh, All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora, activist Yogendra Yadav and RJD’s Manoj Jha. According to South First, CPI(M)’s MA Baby and Brinda Karat, along with SFI and NSUI members, were also held. DY365 reported that some detainees were taken to the Badarpur and Outer North Delhi police stations, while Atishi posted from Fatehpur Beri police station.
The Week reported that around 350 students and activists had set out from the Vice-President’s House but were stopped before reaching the site. The Quint reported that 50-60 people continued protesting around Janpath.
Police had imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita across the New Delhi district. It was reported by sources that 11 Metro stations were closed, internet services were suspended in and around Jantar Mantar, and Delhi Police, the Rapid Action Force and the CRPF were deployed. Police denied permission for the gathering.
The Logical Indian reported that an AISA delegation had submitted an intimation to the Parliament Street police station earlier in the week. Bharadwaj said police told protesters that permission had not been granted, and questioned why it was required at a designated protest site.
Bora alleged that police dragged citizens off the streets, and claimed on X that detained protesters were being released by people on the streets. The SFI alleged a “mass crackdown” on its activists. The Delhi Police had not issued an official count or detailed statement at the time of publication, according to the reports reviewed.
The Print reported of a similar protest on 25 September that had also led to detentions. A parallel demonstration was held at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park under heavy police deployment.
Clashes erupted across DU’s North Campus during the final day of DUSU campaigning; a teacher from Motilal Nehru College was allegedly assaulted.
On 16th September, the final day of campaigning for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, physical clashes were reported at several locations. A brawl broke out between two election-party member groups at the North Campus around 5 p.m. A student campaigner allegedly assaulted a teacher at Motilal Nehru College (Evening).
Faculty members at Motilal Nehru College said campaigners clashed with teachers while attempting to enter the premises and that several teachers were injured. More clashes were reported at Sri Aurobindo College, while altercations were reported at other colleges as well.
Faculty members at the college staged a protest following the incident and demanded action against the student. The demands remain intact as both the faculty and administration demand judicial punishment and justice for the heinous act. Faculty members also said they were considering filing a police complaint andboycotting election-related duties, according to the PTI.
A teacher said that the faculty member who was allegedly assaulted was seriously injured and was receiving medical attention.
A DUSU campaigner beat a faculty member. He is grievously injured and is receiving medical attention”,
the teacher told PTI.
Due to the physical altercations, several students and campaigners were mobilised in a single area near the arts faculty. The state police and security guards also got involved to resolve the confrontation. Unfortunately,faculty members could not immediately establish which student organisation the alleged campaigner represented.
Sources told Times Now that the altercation intensified as rival groups barged through the main gate. Teachers who intervened were allegedly hit repeatedly by campaigners.
Denouncing the incident, the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) termed it a “grave” infringement of teachers’ safety and dignity, and sought disciplinary and legal recourse against those responsible.
No election-related activity should be permitted to compromise the safety, dignity or academic functioning of the college community”,
DUTA said.
The police and the administration are yet to resolve the matter, with further action against those responsible for the violent brawl much awaited.
The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday quashed Noida Police’s detention of a DU Law student and activist, Aakriti Chaudhary, under the National Security Act (NSA).
Aakriti Chaudhary, a 25-year-old history graduate from Delhi University, who recently enrolled in Law, was accused of instigating arson and stone-pelting by industrial workers during a protest in the city on April 13 demanding an increase in minimum wages.
She was arrested on April 12 before the unrest near Botanical Garden and has been behind bars ever since.
Aakriti was named in 11 FIRs, and a month later, the NSA was invoked against her.
While the court’s order has set aside her NSA detention, describing it as “arbitrary and vague”, it does not automatically bring an end to the FIRs in which she was arrested.
Her lawyer, Manik Gupta, said Aakriti had been arrested in multiple FIRs linked to the episode. She has secured bail in some of the cases, but remains in custody as proceedings in others continue.
Out of the 11 FIRs against her, Aakriti has secured bail in five FIRs, while six bail pleas are yet to be heard in the High Court
The police also allegedly relied on WhatsApp groups of which Choudhary was a member. Gupta said these were old groups comprising Delhi University students and that, despite having access to her phone, the police could not produce before the court any message or video showing her calling for violence.
Aakriti’s counsel Manik Gupta said police had failed to produce any evidence in court to support their arguments that she was instrumental in instigating mobs on April 13. Pointing to all the “illegalities” of the state police and showed photos of the Karawal Nagar event where children participated in a cultural programme, being framed as a conspiracy meeting.
Allowing her habeas corpus plea after finding several procedural lapses when it examined the sequence of her arrest and issuance of notices by police under BNSS, a division bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Achal Sachdev ordered compensation of Rs 5 lakh for Aakriti and directed her immediate release if arrest was not warranted in any other case.
For Aakriti, however, the legal battle is far from over. While the DU student still awaits a trial in the remaining FIRs, she is still actively advocating for the trials of other people detained and arrested in the Noida Protest.
NSUI calls off hunger strike led by Delhi University students following an agreement with the university for student representation, the extension of PG seats, and a response regarding the specific X post warning against student demonstrations.
Five students from the University of Delhi affiliated with the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) finally called off their hunger strike on Thursday following a written assurance from the university administration regarding several of their demands. The protest was led by DUSU Vice President Rahul Jhansla. The 11-day-long “DU Satyagraha” protest and nine-day hunger strike have been called off after receiving a letter signed by the university’s Proctor and handed to them by the DU South Campus director Rajni Abbi and a confirmed response to the social media post made from the official university account during the recent Jantar Mantar protest, urging students to refrain from joining the movement.
“The Delhi University administration has fulfilled all our demands in writing and has also given a verbal assurance, on camera and in the presence of the students, to provide a prompt response regarding the specific ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) post in question”, Rahul Jhansla added.
The five NSUI members who observed the hunger strike were Siddhant Tiwari, Kuldeep Gujjar, Sagar Choudhary, Deepak Choudhary and Parth Rao. They ended their indefinite hunger strike in the presence of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Devender Yadav, NSUI national president Vinod Jakhar and South Campus director Prof Rajni Abbi.
“Since his historic victory in the DUSU elections a year ago, Rahul Jhansla has consistently raised his voice against the university administration’s policies. By leading this ‘Satyagraha’, he has compelled the administration to accept the students’ demands,”
said Devender Yadav in praise of the DUSU vice-president, Rahul Yadav Jhansla, for leading the agitation.
The letter dated 4th August states that the process for student representation in the Academic Council will be completed within three months of the conclusion of the 2026 Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections. Further, the university also assured the increase in the number of seats in one-year postgraduate programmes in accordance with the students’ demands.
“The seat allocation, earlier 1,100 for PG courses, has been increased to more than double. One-year PG courses in five programmes have also been started in the School of Open Learning (SOL) from the academic session 2026-27,” quotes the letter. Additionally, the students have been assured of a discussion regarding the remaining demands with the university administration in due course.
Addressing the gathering, Vinod Jakhar said:
“This is a victory of the courage, determination and unity of Delhi University students. Our five colleagues remained on hunger strike for nine days and forced the administration to listen to the students’ voices. This victory belongs to every student who stood firm for their rights.”
“It is unfortunate that students had to put their health at risk and sit on a hunger strike for nine days before the university administration acted on their concerns. Students should never have to go to such lengths for their legitimate demands. We have asked our colleagues to end their hunger strike following the written assurance, but our struggle will not end with an assurance letter. The university will have to fulfil and implement every commitment it has made to the students,” he added further.
DUSU Vice President Rahul Jhansla has said that the administration had accepted the students’ demands in writing and had also given an on-camera verbal assurance regarding another issue raised by the protesters. He said the agitation had demonstrated the strength of collective student action and vowed to continue raising issues concerning students and “institutional freedom and liberty of choice”. In a statement, NSUI mentioned that they will continue to closely monitor the implementation of the assurances of the university and will stand with the students until all the accepted demands are fulfilled.
Students enter the third-week of protest at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium over alleged JPSC and JSSC exam irregularities, demanding a CBI probe, exam cancellation, and judicial inquiry. CM Hemant Soren has promised action as BJP demands his resignation.
Hundreds of students continued their sit-in at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi on Thursday, as their agitation against alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) recruitment examinations entered its third week. The protest, which began on July 25, has grown steadily even as the state government has so far avoided the kind of confrontation that marked the recent Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led agitation in the national capital.
The demonstration stems from allegations of paper leaks and manipulation in the 14th JPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination and the JSSC-Combined Graduate Level (CGL) exam, also known as the Jharkhand General Graduate-level Combined Competitive Examination (JGGLCCE). Protesters allege that TSR Data Processing Private Ltd, the agency that conducted several of these examinations, was complicit in the irregularities. Demonstrators say repeated controversies around recruitment exams have eroded public confidence and point to the need for structural reform in both commissions.
Their demands include a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, cancellation of the 14th JPSC Preliminary exam, a review of examinations conducted by the implicated agency, the introduction of a “not attempted” option as a fifth choice on OMR answer sheets, and strict action against those found responsible. According to Akashvani News, protesters have clarified that their demand is not the resignation of any individual leader but the cancellation of the tainted exams and an independent judicial inquiry conducted by retired High Court judges from outside Jharkhand.
The stir intensified through the first week of August. JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto launched an indefinite hunger strike in solidarity with the aspirants, a move that, according to the Organiser, marked a new phase in the agitation even as the CID inquiry remained underway. Protesters have said the movement is being run without political funding, with food and refreshments arriving voluntarily from local temples and community organisations.
With the Assembly’s Monsoon Session beginning Thursday, agitating students have announced plans to lay siege to the Assembly to press their demands. The All India Students’ Association (AISA) has announced its own march to the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly for Friday, August 7.
The Jharkhand Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has questioned former JPSC chairman L. Khiangte and arrested 19 people in connection with the case. Protesters have publicly termed the CID probe “inadequate,” pressing instead for a CBI investigation.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren has assured students that “all measures” will be taken and that their concerns are being treated seriously. He has said paper leaks are not a problem unique to Jharkhand but a national concern. A four-member government team has been constituted for talks, and students have agreed in principle to engage. A government representative has also asked students to send a delegation to the Chief Minister’s residence.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has extended solidarity to the Ranchi protesters, with CJP leaders reportedly speaking to the aspirants by phone. Educationist Sonam Wangchuk also backed the students and spoke with Mahto, who ended his four-day fast following the call. Jharkhand Congress, the ruling JMM’s alliance partner, has extended moral support, while NSUI president Vinod Jakhar visited the site to assure students their demands would be raised forcefully. Congress leader Bandhu Tirkey has sent refreshments, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has urged the state government to act.
The BJP has saidit will raise the issue during the Monsoon Session. Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi has met the students and called their demands “genuine,” while the party has separately demanded a CBI inquiry monitored by the High Court. The BJP has alleged the scandal points to deliberate “paper fixing” and job-selling rather than a mere leak, claiming lower-scoring candidates cleared the exam while toppers failed, and has accused the examining agency of orchestrating the scam with the state government’s backing. It has also called on the Congress to withdraw support from the Soren government and has sought Soren’s resignation on moral grounds.
The Ranchi agitation stands in contrast to the CJP-led “Chalo Sansad” protests that shook Delhi’s Jantar Mantar area through late July. That movement brought together students and job aspirants from across the country over the same underlying grievance of paper leaks and recruitment fraud. On July 20, protesters attempting to march towards Parliament were met with police baton charges and tear gas, in scenes that some international media outlets described as among the largest anti-government demonstrations India has seen in years. Reports put combined police and protester injuries in the hundreds, with the protest site’s tents and stage torn down and later rebuilt by demonstrators. Clashes recurred through the week even after CJP representatives held talks with Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, and tensions eased only after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation on July 25—the same day the Ranchi sit-in began.
Meanwhile, no coercive police action has been reported against the Ranchi protesters. The state government and police have allowed the sit-in to continue unimpeded, and evening candlelight and Tiranga marches have drawn local residents and job aspirants in solidarity. This marks a departure from Jharkhand’s own recent record with such protests, including a December 2024 agitation in which police baton-charged JSSC candidates and detained student leader Devendra Nath Mahto..
The two movements also differ in political framing. While the CJP’s Delhi campaign centred on demands for a Union minister’s resignation and the release of a hunger-striking activist, the Ranchi protesters have steered clear of demanding any individual’s resignation, keeping their demands focused on exam cancellation, a CBI probe and institutional reform. Opposition parties in Jharkhand, however, have separately called for the Chief Minister’s resignation.
Two Delhi University students remain hospitalised after the July 20 Jantar Mantar protest, as eyewitness accounts and medical findings draw attention to the injuries sustained.
Days after Delhi Police baton-charged thousands of demonstrators marching towards Parliament as part of the Cockroach Janta Party’s “Chalo Sansad” march, at least two Delhi University students remain hospitalised with serious injuries, raising questions about the extent of force used to disperse the July 20 protest. While Delhi Police have consistently denied using pellet guns, multiple eyewitnesses and medical reports have disputed that claim.
Sahil Lochab, a Delhi University School of Open Learning student preparing for the SSC Combined Graduate Level examination, may lose vision in his right eye after what his family alleges was a pellet gun injury sustained during the march. Lochab underwent surgeries at Lady Hardinge Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital before being shifted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where doctors reportedly removed a pellet lodged in his eye that had caused a corneal perforation, along with others from his lung and the tissue surrounding his heart. His family was initially told there was only a one per cent chance of his sight returning. Doctors have since said his prognosis remains “guarded”, meaning the likelihood of vision recovery remains uncertain.
Twenty-one-year-old Sakshi, also a Delhi University student, was caught in a crowd crush near Jantar Mantar after police allegedly pushed demonstrators into an already congested area following the use of tear gas, according to protesters. She was carried unconscious to a police vehicle after demonstrators alleged officers at the scene were reluctant to transport her to hospital. Admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and placed on ventilator support, she was extubated on July 23 after hospital authorities said her condition had shown “steady improvement”. They added that she was conscious, breathing independently, and that MRI scans of her brain and spine were normal.
Protesters on July 20 have described police charging at people who were simply filling water from a cooler, triggering a stampede. One eyewitness who was present when Sakshi was found unconscious, said her face had turned blue and that she was bleeding near one ear. Bystanders, guided by others in the crowd, attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and, when that appeared unsuccessful, administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The witness also alleged that protesters restrained a police officer whom they believed was responsible for her injuries, and described difficulties in locating an ambulance before she was eventually taken to hospital in a police vehicle.
Delhi Police have said around 60 protesters and 118 police personnel were injured in the clashes. They also reported that more than 20 police vehicles were damaged and that 70 protesters were detained. Officers, including Head Constable Balram, Inspector Nand Kishore Singh, ACP Vivek Bhagat, and Head Constable Babu Lal, alleged they were separated from their units and assaulted by crowds.
Delhi Police have repeatedly and categorically denied using pellet guns during the protest, stating the force neither possesses nor uses them and warning against circulating “false and misleading” information. However, medico-legal case (MLC) reports for at least three injured protesters, including Lochab, 25-year-old Sheikh Irshad Mansoori, and a 28-year-old Outlook journalist, reportedly describe “suspected gunshot injury” or “pellet injury marks”, and hospital sources have said the pellets recovered were metallic rather than plastic or rubber. Pellet guns and shock batons form part of the Rapid Action Force’s (RAF) riot-control equipment. However, no official evidence has conclusively established whether pellet guns were fired during the protest.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, speaking to reporters in Parliament, accused the government of suppressing students’ voices and said the police action against them was “completely wrong,” renewing the Opposition’s demand for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise and for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign.
ABVP staged a protest at Delhi University against the shortage of seats in one-year PG programmes, with the demonstration led by Aryan Mann.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest at Delhi University, drawing attention to the minuscule number of seats available for students seeking a postgraduate diploma after completing their fourth year. Their chief demand was that the total number of seats should be increased, as the current setup has “betrayed” the aspirations of the students.
The university administration had announced that all students completing the fourth year, whether from honours or programme courses, would get an opportunity to take admission to the one-year course on the basis of merit. However, there are only limited seats for students who have completed the fourth year.”
Further highlighting the disparity between students opting for the conventional two-year route and those coming in straight after their fourth year, the ABVP chief stated,
Those who are willing to do masters for 2 years, they have more 4,000-5,000 seats; however, those who have completed their fourth year are only offered 1,000 seats.”
“The one course that has been increased in DU, thousands of students come from third and fourth year to enroll in that said course. However, the seats for MA are very low, so ABVP demands that the number of seats for the MA course be officially increased.”
The protest comes amid growing scrutiny of the one-year PG programme’s rollout, with the university’s official seat matrix listing roughly 1,068 seats spread across 45 programmes, a fraction of the number of students who stayed on for the additional fourth year. Notably, the intake for the one-year route is calculated as a percentage of each department’s pre-existing sanctioned strength rather than the actual number of fourth-year completers, a formula finalised only months after most students had already committed to the extra year.
