NEW DELHI: The protest site at Jantar Mantar was full by 11 Tuesday morning. This time, after the police action, there was determination among the protesters to stay put. No one spoke about leaving.Jigmay Chingze Khangpa (26), who came from Himachal Pradesh, sat under a tent while it rained. There was a tattoo on his leg that said: “Only fear God”. There was another mark, too — a bruise from Monday’s police lathicharge. “They (the police) trapped us in the streets, although we were doing nothing. We were just speaking up for the collective future of students, including their children,” he said.Around Khangpa, volunteers ferried food sent by countless donors. Some helped students nursing bruises, while others formed a human chain to prevent the gathering from spilling on to the road. They were determined not to give the police a chance to intervene.Also read: Dragged, beaten, fractured: Injured cops allege crowd suddenly turned violent during CJP-led protestThreading through the crowd was 22-year-old Sameer Ansari. He was barefoot. He lost his shoes during Monday’s lathicharge and spent the night in the Bangla Sahib Gurdwara. Now, he was distributing popcorn among his comrades. Sameer scored around 550 in the May NEET examination, the paper leak of which became the catalyst for this protest. He could not repeat this performance in the retest. “The resolve breaks from within when a govt fails its students,” he said. There is anger, he said. This protest “channelled” it.Unlike many who went to Jantar Mantar after activist Sonam Wangchuk was taken away by police, Fauzia (20) had been camping there for nearly a month. For the last three days, the a civil services aspirant had survived on electrolytes supplied by a health desk next to her tent. “They brought me here on a stretcher because I couldn’t walk after getting badly beaten by the police,” she said.Nearby, the first-aid desk buzzed with activity. It is funded by MK Bundal, who runs a clinic elsewhere. Ten volunteers were treating students with injuries. Painkillers, ORS pouches and basic medicines were being handed out. Monday, Bundal had stationed his ambulance near the protest site. “It is just outside Jantar Mantar Lane. Yesterday, they (police) weren’t even calling for medical help despite the surge in injuries,” he said.For some youths, the police action was a rude awakening, about which 20-year-old Nitin Verma spoke openly. Nitin is a Jamia economics honours student. When TOI visited the site, he was finishing a plate of chole bhature, given by the volunteers. “My parents voted this govt to power,” he said. “I used to believe in BJP, even during the JNU protests and the CAA-NRC agitation. Yesterday, after the police beat us up, despite our peaceful protest, I came to my senses.”The protest, although led by the youth, has seen many parents and even senior citizens come out in support. Mahima Mukherjee (66), a teacher now living in Noida, is one of them. She said the police action was a tipping point. “I come from a generation when speaking up was part and parcel of a democracy. You (govt) don’t have to agree to their terms, but at least engage with them,” she said.Also in the crowd was octogenarian social activist OP Shah. He was here for the third time, with his appeal to Sonam Wangchuk to end his fast. “We don’t want to lose someone like him, as he needs to live on and help the children in making the future,” he said. Some also expressed frustration over the apparent lack of leadership of CJP on the ground. “While we were protesting peacefully, we didn’t have anyone to stand with us on the frontlines,” Khangpa said.Monday’s crackdown had left the students with a shared realisation. “Yesterday, I saw the police at its full potential, standing against us, armed with tear gas shells and sticks, with no name tags, while we had only each other,” 28-year-old Harpreet Singh said.Yet, no one spoke of leaving. “We are here to stay until our demands are fulfilled,” Harpreet said.
