Protesters march ahead, only to be met with lathis, tear gas

New Delhi was brought to a halt on Monday (July 20, 2026) as hundreds of protestors attempted ‘Chalo Sansad’ march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament but were brutally lathi-charged and dispersed using tear gas by the police. As many as 70 protestors were detained while several others faced injuries; women and senior citizens not spared.

Crowds swelled up at Jantar Mantar in the morning, as hundreds walked up to the protest site awaiting directions from the Cockroach Janta Party leadership for the march to Parliament that was supposed to begin at 9 a.m. The police had removed the multi-layered security checkpoints on Sunday (July 19, 2026) night and placed barricades, some at least 10-foot-high, at various points from Tolstoy Road to Sansad Marg.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation tweeted that the Janpath, Patel Chowk, Seva Teerth metro stations were closed. People exited from Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi, Barakhamba Road and Jhandewalan. Internet disruptions were noticed in these areas as well. Scores of protestors walked up to the protest site from these stations.

With hundreds of people incoming and Jantar Mantar already full, the protestors decided to move towards Sansad Marg, undeterred by the high barricades and police personnel blocking their way. They climbed onto the barricades, water tankers and sat on trees, raising continuous chants of Vande Mataram, Bharat Mata ki Jai and Jai Bheem. A large part of sloganeering was aimed at the Prime Minister and Education Minister as well.

As the protestors began to overcome the barricades, the first line of people faced lathi charge from the police. At Sansad Marg police station, the protestors faced brutal lashings, women and men alike. Avnish Pal from Modinagar, Ghaziabad was one of the first to get head injuries. His head bleeding, he sat on the ground and said, “Is this what I came for?”

Jitender Yadav from Lucknow held his friend, who was unable to move after the lathicharge and said that his only crime was that he participated in a peaceful protest. Ravi from Haridwar broke down and pointed at his arms and legs where he had received beatings from the police.

Several protestors sat on the ground, awaiting directions to move forward. Some made their way through the gaps left on the sides; others climbed up the barricades to cross them. “I was behind a group of boys who were mercilessly beaten up by the police,” said Amita, a social worker from Noida. “I received minor injuries on my head and arms but my leg was caught between the barricade as it fell,” she added.

The crowd finally came to a halt at Patel Chowk, where buses parked by the police blocked the path of protestors and with no clear directions to move forward, groups dissected and moved to Ashoka Road and Rafi Marg.

Saraswita, a Chartered Accountant from Sukhdev Vihar, said that she had never seen a crowd like this in Delhi. “I came here to support the protestors and did not expect a brutal lashing from the police. The resolution of protestors is steadfast as they are still progressing amid rain and humidity,” she said, adding that a little direction from the leadership of the protest could have helped guide the protestors better.

At Sansad Marg police station, a major lathicharge injured a dozen protestors who were then detained by the police and taken inside the station. Senior police officials were seen on the ground, telling the crowd to disperse. “Some ‘wrong people’ have entered your groups and are attacking the policemen. We request you to disperse as there is no longer a protest happening here. Your leaders are in communication with the government,” said the announcement being made outside the station, where the protestors stood waiting.

The police even provided first aid to those injured, distributed water and milk packets, only to be again balanced with lathis and tear gas.

At Patel Chowk, traffic came to a halt, with public buses and other vehicles unable to move forward due to the blockages by the police as well as protestors on the road. A heavy police force was called in, who used tear gas shelling to disperse the crowds. A combination of tear gas and lathicharge was used to disperse the crowd towards Ashoka Road and Janpath Marg. “The police is lashing us indiscriminately, without taking into account the composition of the crowd. There are senior citizens as well as women here,” said a woman who was thrashed at Patel Chowk.

A policeman was injured and was pulled out from under a parked bus, where he had crawled in out of fear from the protestors. “He was beaten up by the protestors as he charged at an elderly person,” said Ashutosh, one of the protestors. “Several of them are wearing masks, have removed their name tags and are not wearing identity cards. If they are not using force then what are they afraid of?” he said.

Delhi Police photographers were on site, documenting the protest.

As per an official communication from Delhi Police, Delhi Police registered an FIR against the protestors “for rioting, assault on public servants, damage to public property and other offences committed during the protest.”

It added that at least 118 police personnel were injured in the protest.