What Sparked the July 20 Crackdown?
Today AISA national president Neha announced a renewed demand for Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation following the July 20 police crackdown on anti‑paper‑leak protesters in Delhi. The demand signals a shift from a single‑issue paper‑leak agitation to a broader nationwide campaign for accountability of senior officials and the government’s handling of dissent. The protest, now in its 23rd day of hunger strike, also seeks the removal of Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and the release of detained activists.
- •Delhi Protest Crackdown: Echoes of the 1942 Quit India Movement
Delhi Protest Crackdown: Echoes of the 1942 Quit India Movement
The July 20, 2024 police action on anti‑paper‑leak demonstrators at Jantar Mantar, which left several injured and sparked a 23‑day hunger strike, has revived calls for the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar. Student bodies now frame the episode not merely as a grievance over examination irregularities but as a broader demand for accountability from the centre.
The protest, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party and allied student groups, began as a march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament demanding the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged paper‑leak scandals. When demonstrators attempted to breach the security cordon on 20 July, Delhi Police deployed pellet‑rounds, tear‑gas shells and lathis fitted with nail‑covered sticks.
- ▸The march was halted on 20 July 2024 after police fired pellet guns at the crowd.
- ▸Over 30 protesters were arrested in the immediate aftermath.
- ▸Several participants reported injuries from the nail‑tipped lathis.
Police justified the use of “non‑lethal” crowd‑control weapons on the grounds of maintaining law and order, while protest leaders argue
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