‘Here for future of our children’ say parents at CJP protest with young children

 Among the sea of students and placards at Jantar Mantar, some of the youngest faces belonged to children barely two years old, perched on their parents’ shoulders or walking clutching their fingers. 

For many parents, joining the student protest was an act of hope, defiance and a way of demanding a future where their children would not have to endure a “broken” education system. 

Jantar Mantar protest LIVE

On Saturday (July 25, 2026) evening, as the news broke of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, Salman, 35, came to the protest site in Jantar Mantar with his three children, the youngest being his just one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. 

“We were following the movement, but couldn’t come as we have three kids. But today, when we heard that he has resigned, we rushed here to celebrate,” Mr. Salman said, as a protestor came and distributed “Melody” chocolates to the three children. 

He said that his eldest son was saying that the protest was for their future and they should go to the protest. “Paper leak nahi hona chahiye,” said Mohammad Saad, 11, the eldest of the three children. 

This has been the case other days during the protest too. 

Around 11 p.m. on Friday (July 24, 2026), Kanchan, 34, a make-up artist from Karol Bagh, had come to the protest with her 3 year old son dressed as a doctor with a stethoscope around his neck. 

“It is my second day here. We are here because it is for the future of our children. If the truth wins, we can tell our children that the protesting students suffered lathi-charge for you guys,” she said. 

“And we can tell them also that you were a part of it. Also, people who are still not here, will see these small kids and come out of their houses,” she added. “After July 20th, we feel that we should come here. We felt really bad.”

Pointing to another group, she said that after seeing them their neighbours also came to the protest. 

Her neighbour, Monika Shersiya, 39, had come for the protest with her two-year-old son Sam, dressed as Mahatma Gandhi. “I came with my child because what is happening with these children will not happen with him. This government doesn’t even care even if people die,” she said. 

She added that they have been here for four hours and her son is now frustrated. “But after seeing the videos of students being hit, that too with lathis having nails, we had to come here.” 

On Thursday (July 23, 2026), Sarfaraz Khan, 47, a tailer from Burari, had come to the protest with his two-year-old son Zorin in his arms. “We have been supporting the movement from the start, but we are coming here for the first time. This is for the students who died and also for the future of our children,” he said. 

Mr. Khan, who had studied only till class nine, said that if he did not stand with the students who are protesting now, then no one will stand with his children when they are older.