New Delhi: Thousands of students and young protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar on Sunday for the July 20 Student-Youth Parliament, despite police attempts to restrict access to the area. Videos shared from the ground showed large crowds carrying portraits of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar while marching from Connaught Place towards Jantar Mantar.
Nagina MP and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, in a post on X, said he had reached Jantar Mantar despite police efforts to stop him and urged the students gathered there to move forward under disciplined leadership. Protest organisers claimed that students continued to arrive in large numbers throughout the day, turning the demonstration into one of the biggest youth mobilisations seen in the capital in recent weeks.
The demonstration is centred around demands for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging repeated failures in the country’s examination system and corruption in educational institutions. Protesters are also seeking greater accountability over alleged paper leaks and reforms in the recruitment and entrance examination process.
The student mobilisation comes amid heightened political tensions following the hospitalisation of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was shifted to a Delhi hospital after a prolonged hunger strike. Authorities have imposed restrictions in parts of central Delhi during the Parliament session, and police have not permitted a march towards Parliament. Despite the restrictions, large groups of protesters continued assembling at Jantar Mantar, with heavy police deployment in the area.
According to eyewitness videos and multiple reports, protesters waved the national flag, raised slogans demanding educational reforms and accountability, and carried posters of Bhagat Singh and B.R. Ambedkar as they marched peacefully towards the protest venue. Organisers have described the gathering as a “Student-Youth Parliament” aimed at highlighting the concerns of students, job aspirants and unemployed youth across the country. Authorities have maintained that restrictions are in place to ensure security during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.
