Students from Left organisations staged a protest at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday against alleged police crackdowns in several states targeting participants in a recent stir by the Cockroach Janata Party.
The protest began at 3 p.m. and lasted about two hours. It was organised by 13 groups, including the Students’ Federation of India, All India Students’ Association, Krantikari Yuva Sangathan and All India Students’ Federation. Participants carried placards reading ‘Rise in rage’ and ‘Stop implicating students on false charges’. They also called for the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
AISA national president Neha, who had been on hunger strike for 23 days during the earlier protest, attended the event. Protesters walked past barricades that police had welded together to control access.
Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke demanded action against those who ordered the use of pellet guns on July 20. He stated that students are not terrorists and warned of a larger agitation if police harassment continues. The party also accused Delhi Police of issuing takedown notices and registering FIRs to remove social media posts critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Vinit Kumar said notices are sent for content that spreads misinformation or includes AI-generated or deepfake material.