Ramit Verma was still bleeding when he turned around to face the officer who had hit him.

“The first blow landed on my head, and I started bleeding immediately,” Verma told Newslaundry. “When I confronted the officer and asked him to hit me more if he wanted to, he struck my bleeding head with the lathi again.”

Verma was one of hundreds hurt on Monday, July 20, as Delhi Police baton-charged and tear-gassed students marching from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament on the opening day of the Monsoon Session.

More than 100 people were injured. Around 100 of them, including 10 police personnel, had been brought to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital’s emergency by 5.30 pm, with four protesters admitted to the ICU, The Indian Express reported, citing hospital sources. More than 100 people arrived through the afternoon with major and minor injuries, most to the head and limbs, according to the newspaper, which reported that RML stopped admitting patients once its emergency was overwhelmed and that many of the injured were diverted to Lady Hardinge Hospital. 

Thousands of students and supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had gathered at Jantar Mantar for a ‘Chalo Sansad’ march, demanding accountability for repeated exam irregularities, including the NEET paper leak row, and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Authorities had denied permission for the march to Parliament, citing security concerns during the Monsoon Session. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 were imposed in central Delhi, mobile internet was suspended in parts of the area and some metro stations were shut. Multiple layers of barricades were already in place, backed by paramilitary forces.

When protesters breached the first layer of barricades, police responded with lathi charges and tear gas shells.

‘It felt like a stampede’

Another injured protester said the crowd had been raising slogans peacefully when the lathi charge began. “I was crying and pleading with a woman police officer, saying, ‘Ma’am, please don’t hit me,’ but she didn’t listen and repeatedly struck my legs with a lathi,” the protester told Newslaundry.

Adarsh Kumar said he injured his hand as police pushed the crowd back. “In the commotion, I injured my hand. One of the sub-inspectors was punching us,” he said. “We were protesting peacefully. We didn’t raise any objectionable slogans or do anything that could be considered violent. Despite that, the police used force against us.”

Anil Kumar, also injured, said the lathi charge set off panic. “When the police began a heavy lathi charge, everyone started running and falling over each other. It felt like a stampede. People were falling into drains and crashing into railings,” he said. He alleged police abused protesters during the crackdown: “They were hurling abuses at us, including insults involving our mothers and sisters.”

A protester who had travelled from Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, said he was assaulted after being knocked to the ground. “I was standing peacefully with a copy of the Constitution in my hand when the police suddenly began a lathi charge. They hit me on my hand with a lathi and also slapped me… some police personnel in plain clothes were also beating protesters with lathis and stopping us from moving towards Parliament.”

Arman, another injured protester, said he was struck while trying to help others. “The police were recklessly hitting three girls in front of me. I tried to help them escape, but the police struck my hand with a lathi. It’s bleeding now. Many people in front of me were beaten very badly, and I saw several of them bleeding from their heads.”

Missing nameplates

Several police personnel were without name badges even before the protest began, and some were in plain clothes while wielding lathis. 

Delhi Police maintained that the action became necessary after some protesters allegedly resorted to stone pelting, breached barricades and attacked security personnel. Police said more than 118 personnel, including senior officers, sustained injuries. At least five FIRs have been filed. Vehicles were also vandalised.

Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav, along with other MPs, had marched from Parliament towards Jantar Mantar in solidarity with the students. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi called the Delhi Police’s handling of the protest “disgusting” and flagged systemic failures in education and examinations.

Delhi Police had cleared the Jantar Mantar protest site by evening. Protesters regrouped through the night, set up a stage and resumed the demonstration.

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