disclaimer : stay away from this post if you can't handle the truth or you can't speak beyond whataboutery.

The Black Day of Indian "Democarcy"

July 20, 2026, New Delhi

On the opening day of Parliament's Monsoon Session, thousands of students and young people gathered at Jantar Mantar for the Cockroach Janta Party's "Sansad Chalo" march toward Parliament. What began as a protest over NEET paper leaks, unemployment, and inflation ended in tear gas, baton charges, detentions, and a bitter fight over whose version of events is true.

This piece tries to separate three things: what multiple news outlets have confirmed, what protesters and organizations are alleging, and what remains unverified despite widespread claims circulating online.

THE BACKDROP

The march was organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), led by Abhijeet Dipke, with support from activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was on a hunger strike tied to the same demands. The core demand was the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET exam, alongside broader anger over unemployment and inflation.

Delhi Police had not granted permission for the march and imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation shut five stations near Parliament as a precaution. Central Delhi was turned into what more than one report called a fortress, with layered barricades sealing off the area around Parliament.

WHAT HAPPENED, ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE REPORTS

Around 11:25 am, protesters allegedly tried to breach the barricades near Parliament Street. What followed was confirmed by numerous outlets.

Security forces used tear gas and baton charges at several locations, including Parliament Street, Patel Chowk, Shastri Bhawan, Constitution Club, and near the Reserve Bank of India building. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke was detained, along with over 70 other people according to some reports. The march toward Parliament was called off midway, with organizers citing student safety.

Both sides came out of the day bloodied, at least by their own accounts. Police say more than 50, and by some counts over 118, personnel were injured. Protesters say around 60 of their own were hurt, with some reports citing head injuries and broken limbs among women protesters specifically.

Student organization AISA alleged that male police officers baton charged women protesters directly. A video showing police assaulting students, including women, outside the RSS office in Jhandewalan went viral and drew widespread criticism online.

Property damage was reported on both sides of the narrative. Police say two of their buses were damaged by stone pelting and that shops on Janpath were vandalized by protesters. A Public Interest Litigation has since been filed in the Delhi High Court, alleging excessive use of force by police and specifically asking for the identification of the officers involved, along with an investigation into unidentified individuals who were seen alongside police personnel during the crackdown.

In the aftermath, Delhi Police registered five FIRs and say they are reviewing more than 250 videos, drawn from phone recordings, CCTV, drone footage, and officer body cameras, to identify people involved in the violence.

WHAT DELHI POLICE SAYS HAPPENED

Some segments from media have mentioned sporadic use of violence/detentions at Jantar Mantar by Delhi Police.
It is informed that no such incident has taken place and protest is being handled professionally. All are requested not to fall pray to any rumour/ misgivings, and, to…
— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) July 20, 2026

Police have firmly denied the more serious allegations against them. They called claims of assault "completely false and misleading" and insisted no individual was subjected to targeted assault. Despite videos of the baton charge circulating widely online, police initially denied that a lathi charge took place at all, later characterizing their response as "professional" crowd management rather than brutality.

A pro government aligned outlet, Organiser, went further, publishing a piece accusing CJP of fabricating claims of government talks and manufacturing a narrative to spin what it called street riots into a political win.

This is worth naming plainly. Two entirely opposed narratives are being pushed by people with a direct stake in how this day is remembered, and neither side is a neutral narrator.

There's also a joke you might not notice but their x-post says "not to fall pray" yea we won't fall "pray" 🤡

WHAT PROTESTERS AND WITNESSES ARE ALLEGING

Beyond what has been independently corroborated by news reporting, a separate and more serious set of allegations has been circulating, largely through firsthand accounts, student testimony, and independent creators rather than wire coverage. These include the following.

Officers who were present during the crackdown were reportedly not wearing visible battalion numbers or name plates, which would make individual accountability difficult. This is not directly confirmed by any outlet, but it lines up with the PIL's specific request that police identify the officers involved and investigate unidentified individuals seen among them.

Protesters allege pre vandalized vehicles were staged at the scene, and that footage of these vehicles was later used by parts of the media to frame protesters as the instigators of violence rather than the police response that preceded it.

There are allegations that students were held at gunpoint during the standoff, that barricades were electrified to prevent them from being moved or breached, and that police fired pellet guns and tear gas shells directly at protesters' faces rather than in standard dispersal patterns, which would significantly raise the risk of serious injury.

Some accounts allege that police themselves threw stones during the clash, which runs directly counter to the police and mainstream media framing that protesters initiated the stone pelting.

The most serious claims are allegations from female students that they were molested during the crackdown, with some accounts describing officers cornering women inside a police van and attempting to sexually assault them. These allegations have not appeared by name in any mainstream report found in this research. The closest corroborated incident is the viral Jhandewalan video showing police assaulting students, including women, though that footage is described in coverage as assault rather than sexual assault specifically.

WHAT THIS PIECE CANNOT TELL YOU

Most of the following claims could not be independently corroborated through available news coverage as of this writing: planted or staged vehicles, electrified barricades, students held at gunpoint, police initiating stone pelting, or the specific molestation and attempted assault allegations.

That absence does not mean these things did not happen. It means they have not yet surfaced in the outlets and sources checked for this piece. Independent creators and firsthand witnesses are often the first to capture and share what happened on the ground, well before wire services or larger outlets pick it up, and some of the most serious allegations in situations like this only get confirmed, or debunked, days or weeks later once fact checkers, RTI requests, or formal investigations catch up.

WHY THE GAP MATTERS

There is a real tension between two facts that are both true at once. Video evidence of police violence at this protest clearly exists and has already gone viral, which makes blanket denial by police hard to credit. At the same time, some of the most serious individual allegations, particularly sexual assault claims, have not yet been documented by name, with dates, locations, or corroborating witnesses in a way that would hold up to scrutiny.

Both of those things can be true simultaneously. A crackdown can be real, filmed, and denied by authorities, while specific worst case allegations within it still need names, timestamps, and evidence behind them before they can be treated as established fact rather than an allegation.

WHAT WOULD ACTUALLY MOVE THIS FORWARD

If these allegations are going to lead anywhere, whether that is accountability, a formal investigation, or simply an accurate historical record, they need the same things any serious documentation effort needs: specific names or descriptions of witnesses, timestamps, locations, video or photo evidence, and medical or legal records where they exist. The PIL already filed in Delhi High Court is a meaningful step in that direction, since it specifically asks courts to force identification of the officers involved.

Anyone who witnessed something firsthand, or has raw footage, should treat that material carefully. Preserve it unedited, note the time and location it was recorded, and consider sharing it with journalists, lawyers, or human rights organizations who can verify and contextualize it properly, rather than letting it circulate only as a clip stripped of context.

What are my thoughts?

First, regarding the absence of verifiable sources for these claims, this is expected. Accepting these atrocities and allowing them to surface on the public internet would be political suicide for the administration, as those accused are the very ones holding power.

The entire area surrounding this scandal had its internet jammed and blocked. For argument's sake, we must ask: why? Was it planned by the administration, and what was the true reason behind shutting down the internet?

Anyone with a bit of common sense will immediately recognize that this paralyzed a protest meant to fight corruption. Shutting down internet access significantly reduced its reach and left the situation vulnerable to narrative manipulation. This was a direct suppression of the students' side of the story.

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A post shared by Delhi Wala Sachin (@delhiwalasachin)

The motive behind this is clear: the administration intended to turn the narrative on its head and label the movement as anti-national, completely demeaning its core message, just as they did during the Farmers' Protest.

Why was that car planted there? Was it staged to flip the narrative? Why is this dirty politics allowed to happen?

To those supporting these actions under the defense that "they didn't have permission," consider this: neither did the authorities

have permission to:

Wear civilian clothes while on duty
Detain Sonam sir in plainclothes
Pelt stones at students
Electrify the barricades
Let the education system collapse
Remain silent while students commit suicide due to institutional failures
Use such inhumane force

To be honest, this movement is against the system. It is an outright rebellion against the system.

At the end. You must resign Pradhan.

Sources

This piece reflects publicly available reporting and personal comments that are totally opinionated as of July 21, 2026. Claims attributed to protesters, students, or organizations are presented as allegations, not established fact, and are labeled as such throughout. Readers should treat unverified claims accordingly and look for updates as investigations, fact checks, and further reporting emerge.

Congratulations and best of luck