Stone pelting in Connaught Place; Delhi Police urges for peace

Stone pelting occurred in Delhi's Connaught Place amid protests. Police appealed for peace. A Cockroach Janata Party delegation met Union Minister JP Nadda demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET issue.

Stone pelting was seen in the Connaught Place area in the national capital on Monday, according to information provided by Delhi Police. In the video, a group of youth is seen pelting stones from behind police barricades or by stepping close to it.

Delhi Police on Monday appealed to all protestors to maintain peace, exercise restraint and cooperate with the police in ensuring peace and public order. "All participants are requested to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner, refrain from indulging in any unlawful or violent activities and comply with the lawful directions issued by police officers/personnel deployed on duty," Delhi Police said in a post on X. The police also advised people not to believe or circulate rumours, misinformation or unverified content through any platform. "Citizens are requested to rely only on authentic sources of information and extend their cooperation to Delhi Police in maintaining peace, harmony and public order," the post added.

Protestors meet Union Minister

A delegation of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) met Union Health Minister on Monday over its demands. The Union minister appealed to the protesters to end their sit-in. Nadda, who is Leader of House in the Rajya Sabha, said in a post on X that this morning, for the first time, a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government. He said discussions began around 11:50 am and the meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere. "There was detailed verbal discussion first and a written petition was given to me at about 4 pm. I requested all the protesters to end their protest and assist the administration in restoring normalcy," he added.

CJP lists key demands

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) chief spokesperson Saurav Das said they placed three demands before Nadda, including the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of the NEET aspirants, "more than 20 of whom have lost their lives". He said activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is in a hospital, should be "released immediately".

Das said that the protest will continue till Dharmendra Pradhan resigns. "We met JP Nadda twice. During the meeting, we stated our three demands. First, that Sonam Wangchuk be released immediately... Second, we demand that Dharmendra Pradhan must resign; he should either be dismissed from the Cabinet or resign voluntarily. The protest will continue until his resignation is secured. Third, we demand compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of the NEET aspirants, more than 20 of whom have lost their lives. We approached JP Nadda regarding these demands," Das told ANI.

Das also made a post about the demands in a post on X . He said they were at Nadda's residence for about four hours. "The demands have been conveyed, including immediate resignation/sacking of Dharmendra Pradhan," he said."The Minister assured us he will discuss this at the appropriate level. However, no commitments have been made so far. The peaceful protesters will not rest until the demand is met!" Das said.

NEET issue rocks Parliament

The monsoon session of Parliament began on a stormy note on Monday with opposition forcing adjournments in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha over its demands including on NEET-UG exam leak. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)