"Students Should Vacate Jantar Mantar": Cops Announce On Loudspeakers As Dharmendra Pradhan Resigns

Delhi Police personnel have been going around Jantar Mantar asking protesters to leave after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister this evening. His resignation was the main demand of the protesters led by the satirical political group CJP.

Policemen using loudspeakers asked the protesters to vacate the place, now that their demand has been met.

The protest that had been going on for over a month had led to dwindling crowds at nearby markets that are popular with tourists and locals. The police said senior officers and others are at the forefront of efforts to regulate the crowd and prevent any breach of security arrangements.

The impact of the protest went beyond traffic diversions and Metro station closures, with traders in the Jantar Mantar flea market and Connaught Place saying they saw one of the weakest business weeks in recent months.

Three metro stations have been opened now.

Following the Union education minister's resignation, the government and members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) met for talks again. Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh came from the government's side, while CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka came on behalf of the protesters.

In his resignation letter, Pradhan said it was not about "individual prestige". He said he wanted to prevent anti-national forces from exploiting the situation at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and across the country.

The CJP's two other demands are Rs 1 crore compensation for the families of those who died by suicide after the cancellation of the May 3 NEET-UG and withdrawal of police cases filed against protesters.

They also want the head of the Rapid Action Force and the Delhi Police to publicly apologise to students who were allegedly thrashed by the personnel.

BJP national chief Nitin Nabin said Pradhan's decision to resign as Union Education Minister has the full support of the party. Nabin also credited the former education minister as a leader who "played a pivotal role in reforming India's education landscape and successfully implementing the landmark National Education Policy (NEP 2020), among other initiatives."