Students Continue To Gather in Large Numbers at Jantar Mantar Despite Heavy Security, Metro Closure

New Delhi: Forty-eight hours after the police crackdown, and despite the overwhelming security deployment and the closure of Metro stations across the national capital to restrict access, hundreds of students marching through Connaught Place and adjoining areas continued to pour into Jantar Mantar throughout the day on Wednesday. Anger, despair and disillusionment spilled onto the streets, as slogans lashing out at the establishment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and education minister Dharmendra Pradhan rent the air. But even in the middle of the outrage, the students hadn't lost their sense of humour. Three students moving through the crowd, handed out “Good Day” biscuits to fellow protesters, shouting: “Achche Din Le Lo. Achche Din Le Lo” (Take Good Day. Take Good Day).

Streets, pavements and every approach to Jantar Mantar were teeming with the police and paramilitary forces. Yet, a sea of students, backpacks slung over their shoulders, faces etched with excitement or determination, marched towards the protest site. As one approached the imposing police barricades near the Jantar Mantar, a young girl stood holding a flower and a placard that asked: “Do you think I am a terrorist?”

At the protest site, the mood was unmistakable. Jantar Mantar echoed with the thunder of claps, chants and slogans as hundreds of students vented their anger at the political establishment, aimed mainly at the top echelons of the ruling party. Above the crowd, placards rose like symbols of defiance. One of the placards, bearing an image of Bhagat Singh, carried the message: "Mere bachcho, ab pichche mat hatna" (My children, do not retreat now). Nearby, a young woman held up a hand-written poster taking aim at the BJP's much-invoked narrative of humble beginnings. It read: “Chai becho, bachcho ka bahvishya nahin” (sell tea, not the future of students). But not all were placards and posters. One student held up a tablet with the message: “Looks like the chaiwala did not like spilling tea.” The Neet paper leak apparently shattered the future of over 22 lakhs students.

But the protest was not defined by placards and posters alone. Amid thunderous clapping, slogans like “Bharat Mata ki jai”; “Ïnqualab Zindabad”; “Delhi Police hai hai” and “Jai Bhim” reverberated across the protest site. Beyond the slogans and placards, what stood out was the sense of camaraderie among the students. They came from different colleges, universities, schools, coaching centres, from various parts of Delhi, from different states, and yet, the differences seemed to dissolve at Jantar Mantar. Strangers shared water bottles, food packets and helped one another navigate the police barricades. What united them was a common demand: that India’s education system be made fairer, more transparent and accountable. Differences in religion, caste and background faded before this shared conviction.

Despite the heavily armed police and paramilitary personnel lining the route to the protest site, the students marched towards Jantar Mantar without any hesitation. The spontaneity with which slogans spread stood out. The moment one student walking across Sansad Marg raised a slogan targeting the ruling side, it was instantly picked up by others passing by. Within seconds, a lone voice developed into a chorus. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the protest was its boldness. In the past 12 years, such an open expression of anti-establishment sentiment by Gen Z had rarely been seen or heard.