After the violent 20 July march, the Cockroach Janta Party's sit-in at Jantar Mantar continued until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on 25 July. In those days Delhi Police stopped and detained students travelling to the site, fired tear gas when clashes broke out on Sansad Marg on 23 July, and used tear gas and a "mild lathicharge" at Jantar Mantar on 25 July after a special commissioner was hurt by stones. Police and protesters give different accounts of who started each clash.
Key takeaways
- From 22 July, police near Nizamuddin stopped autorickshaws carrying students towards Jantar Mantar and took some to police stations, calling it preventive action under prohibitory orders.
- On the night of 22 July, ACP Vivek Bhagat was injured when stones and bottles were thrown near Tolstoy Marg, police said.
- On 23 July police fired tear gas after clashes on Sansad Marg near Park Hotel. Police said five personnel, including two ACPs, were injured, and mobile internet was suspended around Jantar Mantar.
- On 25 July, shortly after Pradhan's resignation was announced, police say a section of protesters threw stones at Jantar Mantar, injuring a special commissioner and two other officers. Police fired tear gas and carried out what sources called a "mild lathicharge".
- Police had registered 15 FIRs in New Delhi district by 25 July. On 30 July the Delhi government ordered no further adverse action against protesters without criminal antecedents.
Background
On 20 July police stopped the CJP's "Sansad Chalo" march with lathi charges, tear gas and pellet rounds. That day is covered on its own page: Police action at the 20 July 2026 march. The sit-in at Jantar Mantar continued afterwards, with the CJP demanding Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak. Outlook
On 21 July, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav were among opposition leaders removed by police from a sit-in outside the Prime Minister's residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. IANS via Morung Express On 22 July Delhi Police headquarters told all units to send personnel to Jantar Mantar only in uniform, after videos showed plainclothes men beating protesters on 20 July. Business Today
Students stopped and detained on the way
According to The Quint, cited by South First, 20 students including two minors were picked up from Nizamuddin roundabout on 22 July while heading to Jantar Mantar. They were released from Badarpur police station after about four hours. South First
On the afternoon of 23 July, a reporter for The Wire saw police near Nizamuddin stopping autorickshaws with students in them without telling them why. Two people heading to a museum were questioned and let go. The Wire
Police position An officer quoted by The Hindu, cited by The Wire, said police were "only stopping students who are going for the protest as Section 144 (now Section 163 of the BNSS) is in place", adding: "We are making them understand that they could get injured over there." The Wire
Claim · Jamia students Three Jamia students said in a video shared on 24 July that police made them get off an auto near Nizamuddin: "they kept saying it is preventive detention, they told us to ask the SHO. They took us to the police station, and asked us fill our details." Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair shared a video of five students returning from Jantar Mantar being detained near Jamia Millia Islamia; an activist and a reporter said they followed the police vehicle and got them freed. South First South First reported that the pattern raised questions of religious profiling. No police response to that allegation was reported.
Timeline of clashes
ACP hurt near Tolstoy Marg
Police said "miscreants" attacked security personnel with stones and bottles near Tolstoy Marg in Connaught Place, injuring ACP (Connaught Place) Vivek Bhagat, who was taken to RML Hospital. ANI
Sixteen metro stations closed
The DMRC shut entry and exit at 16 stations in central Delhi, including Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Janpath, Central Secretariat and Lok Kalyan Marg, citing security concerns. ANI
Tear gas on Sansad Marg
Jantar Mantar stayed relatively calm, but clashes broke out on Sansad Marg near Park Hotel. Police said the crowd turned unruly and stones were thrown, and tear gas was fired. Five police personnel, two ACPs, an inspector, a head constable and a constable, were injured. A policeman was reportedly chased and beaten. CJP volunteers appealed for calm and cleared stones from the roads. Mobile internet was suspended in a 1.5 km radius around Jantar Mantar. Outlook
Pradhan resigns
Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down as Union Education Minister, ending 36 days of CJP-led protests. Newsreel Asia
Stones, tear gas and a lathi charge at Jantar Mantar
Claim · police sources Shortly after the resignation was announced, some demonstrators raised slogans while "another group allegedly began pelting stones without any provocation". A special commissioner of police and two other officers were injured and taken to hospital. Security forces lobbed tear gas and carried out "a mild lathicharge", and order was restored "within a short span of time". DT Next (PTI)
What the footage shows
Claim · circulating videos Short clips from these days circulated online. Going by their captions, and by the news reports above, they show these kinds of incidents. We have not verified each clip, and captions are not findings of fact.
- On 22 July: students detained near Nizamuddin while travelling to the protest and taken to a police station; students detained while returning from the site; and men in civilian clothes shoving students and stopping them from boarding the metro, apparently because they carried protest posters.
- On 23 July: police and RAF firing tear gas and baton-charging protesters.
- On 25 July: tear gas fired at Jantar Mantar, and lathi charges during clashes between police and protesters.
The detentions on the way to the site match the accounts reported by The Wire and South First. The 23 and 25 July tear gas and baton use are confirmed by police-sourced reports, which describe them as a response to stone-pelting. We found no news report of the metro incident, so it remains an allegation.
Protesters' account
Students say they were detained for trying to reach a protest site, without being told why, and in some cases while simply travelling in central Delhi. Some say they were asked for their details at the police station. Jamia students and activists allege they were singled out. On 23 July CJP volunteers tried to stop stone-throwing and cleared stones from the roads. South First Outlook
Police account
Police say prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS were in force and they stopped students to keep them away from possible injury. They say officers were attacked with stones and bottles on 22, 23 and 25 July, and that tear gas and a "mild lathicharge" were used only to disperse violent groups. By 25 July police said more than 200 personnel had been injured over the protests, and over 65 protesters. The Wire DT Next
Outcome
- FIRs: 15 FIRs had been registered in different police stations in New Delhi district by 25 July, police said. DT Next
- Government order: On 30 July the Delhi government's Home Department told police to take no further adverse legal action against protest participants and to review arrests quickly, except for people with criminal antecedents. Free Press Journal
- Supreme Court: On 28 July the court ordered all states to release minors and students without criminal antecedents detained in the protests, and barred coercive action against students for the time being. Open
- Investigation: Police said they were examining video footage to identify those who threw stones on 25 July. No outcome had been reported. DT Next
Questions people ask
Were students detained on the way to Jantar Mantar?
Yes. Reports describe police stopping students near Nizamuddin on 22, 23 and 24 July and taking some to police stations. Police said they were stopping protest-bound students because prohibitory orders were in force.
What happened at Jantar Mantar on 25 July 2026?
Shortly after Pradhan's resignation was announced, police sources say a group threw stones, injuring a special commissioner and two officers. Police fired tear gas and carried out a short lathi charge.
Was there tear gas in Delhi on 23 July?
Yes. Police fired tear gas during clashes on Sansad Marg near Park Hotel and said five personnel were injured. Mobile internet was suspended around Jantar Mantar.
Are the protesters still facing cases?
The Delhi government ordered on 30 July that no further adverse action be taken against protesters, except those with criminal antecedents. The status of the 15 FIRs has not been reported.
Sources
- IANS via Morung Express: Rahul Gandhi detained, Priyanka and Akhilesh Yadav removed from protest site, 21 Jul 2026
- Business Today: Delhi Police asks personnel to wear uniform for Jantar Mantar duty, 22 Jul 2026
- The Wire: Police stop autorickshaws from reaching Jantar Mantar, don't say why, 23 Jul 2026
- ANI: Delhi Police confirms targeting of personnel during July 20 protests, 23 Jul 2026
- Outlook: 5 Delhi cops injured, internet cut, tear gas fired near Sansad Marg, 23 Jul 2026
- South First: Delhi police detains students attending Jantar Mantar protests, 25 Jul 2026
- DT Next (PTI): Special CP, two officers injured in stone-pelting at Jantar Mantar after Pradhan's resignation, 25 Jul 2026
- Newsreel Asia: CJP protests, key developments after Pradhan's resignation, 27 Jul 2026
- Open: Supreme Court orders release of minors held in NEET protest crackdown, 28 Jul 2026
- Free Press Journal: Delhi government orders no adverse action against CJP protesters, 30 Jul 2026