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band of retired policemen from the Delhi Police have opted to take to the streets in support of their fellow brethren. The Delhi Police Mahasangh, which comprises retired officers belonging to both non-gazetted and gazetted categories, has applied for permission to stage a peaceful dharna on July 31 at Jantar Mantar.
The protest is being organized in support of the police personnel who got hurt during the "Chalo Sansad" march recently, and also to ensure legal proceedings against those involved in the violence and vandalism.
The “Chalo Sansad” march, scheduled for 20 July, was organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led satirical political outfit, along with leftist students' bodies such as All India Students' Federation, All India Students' Association, and the Students' Federation of India.
This march was a part of the much bigger agitation that has been ongoing at Jantar Mantar since early June on account of the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and the flaws in the online marking process of CBSE.
Among other things, the agitators were seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. And in the latter part of this agitation, some factions of the movement even wanted PM Narendra Modi to resign.
The rally gained immense momentum when activist Sonam Wangchuk decided to join in at the end of June, and started an indefinite fast along with AISA members.
Matters became even more heated on July 18 when Delhi Police forcefully took away Wangchuk from the site and took him to Safdarjung Hospital; this was considered an act of “kidnapping” by none other than the founder of CJP himself, Abhijeet Dipke. To retaliate against this incident, Dipke also began his fast. On such a turbulent note, the “Chalo Sansad” march that took place on July 20 witnessed a gathering of over 50,000 protesters in the capital, way ahead of police predictions, and led to total chaos thereafter.
It is reported in the media that about 118 police personnel got injured in the violence that erupted in the 'Chalo Sansad' march. There were reports that approximately 70 people took part in the march were arrested. While some injured cops have said that they got injured after being attacked by objects like sharpened tiles, this was a challenge to the claim that the protest was completely peaceful.
The use of plain clothes with lathi by the police came into the picture as well, although Delhi Police justified its use as legal. In view of the gravity of the situation, the Centre has granted Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar preventive detention powers for three months under the NSA from July 19 to October 18.
This incident brought forth a larger debate in the city.
Though there were many in civil society and in the film industry who attacked the police for cracking down on the protesters, even the way Wangchuk was dragged out of the place, there were also those who pointed out the injuries suffered by policemen on duty, saying that the entire episode was not one of peace. This is where the Delhi Police Mahasangh wants to draw attention.
In a formal letter written to the Commissioner of Delhi Police, Anurag Kumar, the Mahasangh has sought permission to hold a protest demonstration for one day at the specified place of Jantar Mantar from 11 am to 5 pm on July 31.
According to the statement issued by the association, the main purpose of this protest demonstration is to show their support for, and boost the morale of, the serving members of Delhi Police who got hurt in the line of duty during the “Chalo Sansad” agitation.
Apart from the support that the retired officers want to show, they are also seeking action against the alleged culprits in the case.
It is not the first time that the retired police unions in the region have organised themselves in support of the officers currently working who are being subjected to animosity while on duty. Similar solidarity actions from the retired police unions have taken place before, even in other states like Haryana, where the retired police officers along with locals have demanded before for the withdrawal of cases registered against policemen and strict action against people who have been assaulting them.
Such a repeated incident also indicates the larger issue of concern regarding the safety of officers deployed during large and volatile public meetings.
Interestingly, the environment within which this dharna is going to take place has undergone some changes in the last few days. In the case of the month-long agitation organized by the CJP, the resignation of Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan from the position of Union Education Minister, which was the demand of this agitation, was accepted over the weekend with Mr. Pradhan resigning from his post.
After his resignation, the CJP ended its agitation, thus marking the end of an agitation, which went on for weeks, centered around Jantar Mantar since early June. Though the original agitation has ended, the repercussions of the violent clashes that occurred on July 20th still continue, and in this context, the dharna to be organized by the retired police officials is significant.
