3 min readNew DelhiJul 21, 2026 04:50 AM IST
Before 3 pm on Monday, the police and protesters — who gathered at Jantar Mantar to take part in a march led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to Parliament — had locked horns. While protesters tried, and at a few places, managed to cross the barricades erected to stop them from reaching Parliament, officers went all out to manage the crowd and control the chaos.
The protesters at the intersection of Ashoka Road and Sansad Marg were those who almost made it. They were merely 700 metres away from Parliament when they were met with resistance from the police and paramilitary forces.
The hours that followed witnessed security personnel resorting to lathicharge and firing teargas shells — actions that seemed enough to at least slow down the pace the protest had picked up since morning.
Officers even chased the protesters down Sansad Marg, with some of them entering Jantar Mantar from Tolstoy Marg and others fleeing towards the Outer Circle of Connaught Place. The crackdown led to the dispersal of crowds throughout Connaught Place and in some areas of the Lutyens’ Delhi.
Police officers also reached the protest site at Jantar Mantar and asked protesters to vacate the area. Officers also climbed on the stage and asked organisers to get down.
In a matter of around 10 minutes, the entire protest site was emptied, the stage dismantled.
Unrest at Connaught Place in New Delhi in on Monday. (Express photo by Gajendra Yadav)
The protest, however, gathered pace soon again.
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Lutyen’s Delhi subsequently witnessed a complete shutdown. Vehicles struggled to make their way and the people started getting stranded as protesters filled the roads surrounding Parliament.
By evening, as police tried to disperse protesters, many started charging at the officers. While protesters were seen hurling shoes, bottles and stones at the police, the latter retaliated with teargas and force.
Shutting down Lutyens’ Delhi, police said, was not what they were ready for, with the Monsoon Session of Parliament in progress.
The dismantled stage at the protest site in Jantar Mantar. (Express photo by Gajendra Yadav)
The late evening hours saw the protest enter the heart of the city. At Connaught Place, there was vandalism, stone pelting and violence. Over a dozen vehicles were damaged.
