New Delhi police fired rounds of tear gas and deployed baton charges Tuesday to block hundreds of supporters from the “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) as they attempted to storm the barricades surrounding the national parliament.
The demonstration, sparked by the party’s ongoing campaign against alleged administrative corruption, turned violent shortly after noon. Protesters pushed through the first layer of steel barricades near the Janpath intersection, prompting officers to respond with heavy-handed crowd control measures.
“We aren’t here to negotiate with barricades,” said Vikram Singh, a regional CJP coordinator, while being detained by police. “They can use all the tear gas they want, but the rot in this administration isn’t going away.”
The scene outside the legislative complex remained chaotic for nearly three hours. Officers in riot gear used shields to shove back demonstrators, while protesters threw water bottles and debris. At least 40 people were taken into custody and transported to nearby holding centers.
The CJP, a fringe political outfit known for its aggressive, performative protests, has gained traction in recent months by focusing on local municipal failures. Today’s march was intended to be their largest show of force yet.
Senior police officials defended the response, citing Section 144—a law prohibiting public gatherings of four or more people—which had been imposed in the district earlier this morning.
“The area around parliament is a high-security zone,” a spokesperson for the Delhi Police told reporters. “We gave them ample warning to disperse before the situation escalated.”
Hospital records indicate at least a dozen protesters were treated for minor injuries, including respiratory distress from tear gas and blunt force trauma from police batons. No injuries to law enforcement personnel were reported.
As of late Tuesday, the streets surrounding the parliament complex have been cleared, though a heavy security presence remains. For the CJP, the arrests are unlikely to mark the end of their campaign; if anything, the images of today’s clashes are already being leveraged by the party to fuel their narrative of state overreach.
