Tensions escalated in New Delhi on Monday after police used tear gas during a march by members and supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), who have been protesting for nearly a month over their demand for exam reforms.
The protest took a significant turn as the Central Government initiated its first formal talks with the protest leaders. Representatives of the CJP are scheduled to meet Union Health Minister JP Nadda later on Monday.
According to sources, the government reached out to the protesters through New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sachin Sharma, initially, officials offered a meeting with a district magistrate and later with a senior government secretary, however, the CJP leadership insisted that they would only hold talks with either the Prime Minister or a Union Minister.
The party also submitted the names of ministers they were willing to meet and following these discussions, a meeting with Union Health Minister JP Nadda was arranged. The CJP has confirmed that its founder Saurav Das and national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka will represent the party during the meeting. This is the first official engagement between the government and the protest leaders since the demonstrations began, raising hopes that the ongoing deadlock may finally move towards a resolution.
Before leaving for the meeting, Saurav Das shared a post on social media confirming the development and stated that the government had contacted the protest leaders in the morning and reiterated that the party's demands remain unchanged, he also said that a large number of young people had joined the movement and expressed confidence that the protesters would succeed.
Meanwhile, the situation at the protest site became tense after police used tear gas when protesters attempted to march, videos shared on social media showed clouds of tear gas in the area as security personnel tried to stop the advancing crowd.
The Cockroach Janta Party strongly criticised the police action. In a statement posted on social media, the party questioned why tear gas was being used against what it described as peaceful protesters, the party also accused the government of ignoring the protest for nearly a month before taking action against the demonstrators during the march.
The meeting between JP Nadda and the CJP leaders is expected to be closely watched, as it marks the first direct dialogue between the Centre and the protest organisers and the outcome of the talks could play an important role in deciding the future course of the protest.