As reports began to surface regarding the police response, which included a lathi-charge against a stone-pelting CJP mob, Abhijit Dipke announced a significant shift in his protest strategy. Merely 48 hours after its commencement, he decided to bring his “indefinite” hunger strike to an end. Dipke stated that this decision was reached after Sonam Wangchuk, who was also preparing to conclude his own ‘indefinite’ hunger strike, requested that he join the scheduled CJP Parliament March.

According to details published by the Indian Express, the fast was broken when Dipke drank juice publicly. This occurred right after Gitanjali Angmo, Wangchuk’s wife, announced directly from the Jantar Mantar protest stage that Wangchuk had personally urged Dipke to break his fast, noting that he would require energy to sustain the ongoing protest. Immediately following this announcement, Dipke and Angmo joined the active protest march heading toward Parliament. Walking alongside them was the father of Riya Kumari, a NEET aspirant who had tragically died by suicide.

This conclusion stands in contrast to the start of the protest on the 18th, just 48 hours prior, when Dipke had firmly claimed he would sit on an “indefinite” hunger strike until the specific demands of the CJP were fully met. At that particular time, his primary demand was centered on securing the immediate resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

However, shortly after initiating his “indefinite hunger strike” for the removal of Dharmendra Pradhan, Dipke publicly upgraded the scope of his demands. He asserted that he could no longer be satisfied strictly with the resignation of the education minister, raising the stakes to formally demand the resignation of the Prime Minister as well.

The emotional toll of the demonstration became visible about an hour after he demanded the resignation of PM Modi. Video footage quickly emerged showing Abhijit Dipke crying into a napkin, while fellow activists Vijaita Dahiya and Yogendra Yadav attempted to console him during the intense moment.

Facing No Resignations, CJP’s Abhijit Dipke, Saurav Das, and Sonam Wangchuk Scale Down Strategic Demands

Despite 21 days of continuous protest and the 48 hours dedicated to Abhijit Dipke’s indefinite hunger strike, the political landscape remained unchanged. No member of the government resigned, leaving both the education minister and the prime minister firmly in their positions. Confronted with this ongoing predicament, Sonam Wangchuk became the first among the leaders to water down his initial demands.

On the morning of July 20th, Wangchuk released a revised list detailing his updated conditions. He stated that he would officially end his fast on July 20th if any one of three specific conditions were met by the administration: either the government takes full accountability for the recent paper leaks, or the CJP successfully marches to Parliament and Members of Parliament agree to raise the issue directly in the House, or political leaders come to meet him personally at the hospital. Observers noted this as a significant climb down from his earlier position, primarily because the newly presented list completely omitted the previous demand for Dharmendra Pradhan to resign.

Following Wangchuk’s public statement, the CJP adjusted its stance accordingly, signaling that they were now open to direct dialogue with the authorities. Ahead of the proposed Parliament March from Jantar Mantar, which was set against a backdrop of tight security arrangements, Saurav Das, the official spokesperson of the CJP, publicly stated that they were “willing to talk to the government” in an effort to “resolve the impasse surrounding the education system”. This pivot occurred only hours after Wangchuk had independent published his three demands that excluded any mention of Pradhan’s resignation.

Violence and Stone Pelting Reported During Parliament March Conducted Without Official Permission

The situation escalated significantly on Monday, July 20th, when supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party unleashed violence under the garb of what was initially framed as a peaceful march directed toward the Union Parliament.

The primary confrontation occurred near Kerala Bhawan, where the advancing protestors breached established police barricades and resorted to stone pelting. In response to the growing unrest, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) quickly deployed and carried out two rounds of lathi-charge to restore order and bring the deteriorating law and order situation back under control.

Reports from the scene indicated that supporters of the CJP actively ran toward the security structures, attempting to forcefully push through the established security cordon. This confrontation took place despite the Delhi Police explicitly making it clear beforehand that absolutely no permission had been granted for the Parliament march to take place.

Earlier, on Saturday, July 18th, the Delhi Police had issued a formal statement confirming that the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) would not be allowed to organize its proposed march to Parliament on the upcoming Monday, July 20th. According to law enforcement officials, the political party had completely failed to seek formal permission from the police department to organize the march, which critically coincided with the very first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

The Delhi Police reiterated that the CJP had not sought any official permission from authorities to logistically organize the march. Furthermore, the ongoing CJP protest baseline at Jantar Mantar was explicitly described as ‘illegal’ by the Delhi Police, given that the party had failed to seek necessary permission for that assembly as well. In light of the Monsoon Session and the CJP’s public call for the mass march, the Delhi Police heavily intensified security measures across the entirety of the national capital. Authorities noted that even if the party were to approach the Delhi Police at a later juncture seeking retroactive permission for the march, it remained highly unlikely that any such permission would be granted due to the heightened security protocols currently active in the area.