Paper Leak Protests: CJP calls off agitation after Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation | As it happened

The stage for the agitators has been removed from Jantar Mantar in New Delhi after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called off its protest following Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.

The security has been withdrawn from Jantar Mantar after the CJP called off its agitation following the government's decision to accept all of its demands.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has said that the entry gates of all metro stations are open for the public now.

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Saturday withdrew its agitation over the NEET issue after the government accepted all demands of the outfit, including the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and withdrawal of FIRs against protesters. The announcement came following talks between the two sides soon after Pradhan said on X that he has sent his resignation to the prime minister. 

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the government will hold another round of talks in about four weeks. 

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the government are addressing a joint press conference. 

Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh are hold another round of talks with Cockroach Janta Party's chief spokesperson Saurav Das and national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has welcomed Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, but said concrete steps are needed to prevent paper leaks in the future. He also credited the youth for making the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bow down.

"This is a big victory for the youth, but people from all political parties should learn from this that in the future, the examinations will have to be strengthened so that no papers are leaked and avenues for employment and jobs will have to be opened for the youth," he told reporters.

The entry gates of Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House and Central Secretariat metro stations are now open for the public, said the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has hailed Dharmendra Pradhan after he resigned as the Union Education Minister and said his journey is a lifelong commitment to public service. In a post on X, Rijiju thanked Pradhan for his relentless service, commitment to reforms, contribution to building a stronger India.

"Having worked alongside him in the Union Cabinet, I have seen his sincere dedication to strengthening India’s education ecosystem & keeping our millions of young students at the center of every decision. Leading such a critical sector demands immense perseverance & he embraced it with courage & clear vision," he said.

Another round of talks between the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the central government is underway at the Constitutional Club of India (CCI) in New Delhi following Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as Union Education Minister.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.

At a time when the Delhi Police is holding a press conference on CJP protests, a fresh violence erupted at protest site and police fired tear gas at protesters. 

On the misleading and false information related to Jantar Mantar protest, DCP Central Rohit Rajbir Singh says, "A protest has been going on at Jantar Mantar for the past several weeks by the Cockroach Janata Party... Information on social media goes viral very quickly, but not every post, video, or photo is necessarily accurate. It is extremely important to fact-check any information before trusting it or sharing it further. The Delhi Police is also continuously monitoring social media. We are continuously sharing information on fake news, AI and deepfake videos, edited clips, and misleading posts through our social media handles so that people can differentiate between true and false information..."

DCP Central Rohit Rajbir Singh says, "Our investigation also revealed that some social media accounts operated from Pakistan are spreading fake content. Delhi Police, in collaboration with the concerned agencies, is continuously working to identify more such accounts. More than 400 such handles have been identified so far and blocked for spreading AI-generated content, deepfake videos, edited photos and other false content related to the protests. Some such handles were also found active in spreading fake information during Operation Sindoor. These social media accounts tried to mislead people by editing official statements of several senior officers and manipulating visual content."

DCP Central Rohit Rajbir Singh says, "In line with the Government of India's commitment to combat paper leaks and irregularities in various competitive exams, the Delhi Police has formed a Special Task Force within the Crime Branch. This team will be led by a DCP-level officer and supervised by the Special CP, Crime..."

On CJP meeting with ministers today, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das says, "We hope the government accepts our non-negotiable demand today, that Dharmendra Pradhan should resign or be dismissed from the Union Cabinet. This movement is not just about the CJP leadership or Sonam Wangchuk. It belongs to every young person protesting across the country, and they have one demand, Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation... If the government does not accept our non-negotiable demand, we will give a bigger call for protest. If not today, then tomorrow, Delhi will witness a protest much larger than the one held on July 20."

https://x.com/PTI_News/status/2080920592929198508

Police use water cannons to disperse the crowd after the Mahila Congress stage a black-clad protest march to Lok Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram, led by Congress MP Jebi Mather over the arrest of Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and other leaders.

“Students have three demands, and these are not negotiable demands... The first demand is that the Education Minister, who is corrupt, incompetent, and misaligned, has to be sacked... There's some talk going on in Mr. Modi's cabinet that the solution is to move Dharmendra Pradhan from education to some other ministry. This is not acceptable to the students of India. It is not acceptable to anybody. The reason is that Pradhan is a symbol of corruption and of what has happened to the future of India's children. He is a symbol of the destruction of the most valuable thing that this country has, which is our students and their future. And so there is going to be no conversation about Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan being moved here, moved there, put behind, forward, nothing. Dharmendra Pradhan has to be sacked,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi says, "This is the system that is attacking them (students and youth). I told them inside. I said, do not worry. Do not worry. No amount of strength of the entire Indian government, every single person in the Indian government, cannot move you from there (protest site)."

He says, "Let them (government) do whatever they want. If they want to stop, if they want to threaten, they can do anything... We are not going to step back... They are the future of India. No one can fight them. Narendra Modi is India's past; the past can never fight the future."

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi addressed a press conference after meeting protesters at Jantar Mantar ad said the students have kept three non-negotiable demands:

1. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is corrupt, incompetent has to be sacked.

“There is some talk going on in PM Modi's cabinet. But the solution is to move Pradhan to other ministry because Pradhan is symbol of corruption and is symbol of destruction for the values this country has. He has to be sacked,” he said.

2. One young lady is injured. I showed you yesterday, who has been shot in the eye. Thousands of students who have broken legs, broken heads, hands, and pellet injuries. PM Modi must apologise to the whole country.

Report: Vijai Laxmi 

In a scathing attack on the Delhi Police, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) accused them on Saturday of preventing people from sending food and assisting demonstrators at the CJP protest site at Jantar Mantar in the national capital. In a post on X, CJP activist 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.

Delhi Police to hold a press briefing today for clarification into the misleading and false information related to Jantar Mantar protest. Police will present their side on false information circulating on social media. DCP Central Rohit Rajbir Singh to address the press briefing: Delhi Police

Security tightened in Patna as various Left-wing student groups call for Bihar bandh over NEET paper leak and police action on protesting students.

"We too will give a list of Police personnel to Delhi Police, who cracked open the heads of children, dragged them on streets, broke the ribs of our volunteers and slapped young girls. We will identify them not through FRS but through public. We will make it public. Let's see what Delhi Police have to say to that," says Cockroach Janta Party National Spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka on Delhi Police saying that they have identified over 2000 people with criminal background who had come to Jantar Mantar, with the help of Facial Recognition System (FRS) cameras.

Abhijit Dipke says he has been diagnosed with typhoid, but the fight will go on until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns!

DCP (IFSO) Vineet Kumar and ACP (Rajouri Garden) Sharat Chand displayed great bravery and saved the life of ACP (Connaught Place) Vivek Bhagat during an attack on him. DCP (IFSO) Vineet Kumar arrived at the scene with his team to rescue ACP Vivek Bhagat, who was surrounded by a mob, and managed to bring him out safely.

During the rescue operation, a miscreant within the mob attacked Head Constable (HC) Rahul—an operator with the IFSO unit—with a knife, causing an injury to his abdomen.
The injured HC Rahul was immediately rushed to the hospital, where timely medical treatment saved his life. The incident suggests that armed miscreants may be mingling with the protesters. Just a day earlier, weapons had been recovered from the bags of two individuals during a police check at Jantar Mantar.

Report: Abhay Parashar 

Delhi Police Sources said - 130 Police personnel have been injured. 15 FIRs have been registered. About 65 students were injured in the protest. Around 10,000 people on average are present at and around Jantar Mantar, 3000 Police personnel deployed there. With the help of Facial Recognition System (FRS) cameras, Delhi Police is identifying anti-social elements coming to Jantar Mantar. Police have identified more than 2000 such people so far who have had criminal records and came to Jantar Mantar: Delhi Police Sources

Liquor shops across Delhi will shut two hours earlier than usual, at 8 pm instead of 10 pm, until the weekend ends in view of the ongoing student protests at Jantar Mantar, sources said. The decision follows an unannounced early closure of liquor shops on Thursday that left many customers surprised after they were turned away. "The shops will now close by 8 pm till the weekend. The decision was taken based on the police inputs flagging the prevailing situation due to the ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar," a senior Delhi government officer said.

Central Delhi has witnessed days of protests over the alleged NEET paper leak. Students, gathered under the banner of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar, have been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging he presided over the paper leak, which they say drove many students to die by suicide. On July 20, a Parliament March organised by the CJP turned violent, leaving several protesters and a few police personnel injured.

CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka says, "We expect to receive a written agreement today on the issues of compensation and legal action. We also expect a response to the core demand of this movement, the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan... If Dharmendra Pradhan does not resign, the protest will intensify, and we will soon have to issue another nationwide call for agitation."

Security has been tightened around Jantar Mantar, with the Delhi Police erecting extra barricades interlinked with heavy-duty chains and reinforced through welding. These measures come amid protests led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) against the Centre over the NEET paper leak controversy, alongside demands for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

At least 18 metro stations in the national capital will remain closed from 7:30 am until further notice on Saturday due to security concerns and ongoing student protests near Central Delhi. The closed stations are Lok Kalyan Marg, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Ramakrishna Ashram Marg, Barakhambha Road, Supreme Court, Seva Teerth, Janpath, Mandi House, Central Secretariat, ITO, Delhi Gate, Indraprastha, Khan Market, Jor Bagh, Shivaji Stadium, Jhandewalan, and New Delhi.

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) activists on Saturday said that the organisation would be forced to take a "tough stance" if the government fails to clarify its position on the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Speaking to reporters, CJP activist Ashutosh Ranka noted that his meeting with Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh was fruitful. He added that once the government clarifies its stance on Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, the CJP will decide its future strategy.