The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi continues, demanding the union education minister’s resignation over the leak of the NEET exam papers. Many people from various Indian states are expressing support for them — and some are standing by them with food and drink.
According to various sources, supporters are ordering food and drinks through online food-ordering apps such as Swiggy and Zomato, then asking the delivery workers to distribute them free among the protesting students and demonstrators.
Pradeep Kumar Singh, a delivery worker for the online food company Swiggy, told the Indian private news agency ANI that Jantar Mantar has now become a regular destination for such orders.
“An order comes in. Then the customer says, ‘Brother, just distribute these there. Give them to whoever needs them,’” Pradeep told ANI. “Yesterday I had an order of samosas. I was told just to bring them here and hand them out to everyone. Nobody comes to collect them.”
Orders for food and drink for the protesters are coming from abroad as well. Another delivery worker, Mahendra Kumar, said he had brought tea to the protest site at Jantar Mantar on an order placed by a customer overseas.
“I have brought this order. It was placed from outside India,” Mahendra told ANI. “I was told, ‘Go to Jantar Mantar and give it to the brothers who are protesting.’” He added: “I don’t know who sent it. I was only told to give tea to those protesting here.” Another delivery worker for Zomato and Zepto called the practice “student service.”
Describing instructions from an unidentified sender, that worker told ANI: “The sender’s identity has been kept secret. I was only told, ‘Distribute everything.’ I don’t know who ordered it. I was only told to go there and hand it over. It’s ‘student service’, it’s for the students. I don’t even know whose it is or what is in it.”
Delhi Police have so far filed 10 FIRs over the protest organised by the Cockroach Janata Party. Police officials said the FIRs were filed at several New Delhi police stations over various incidents during the protest and law-and-order concerns.
Officials said four FIRs were filed at Parliament Street police station, three at Connaught Place, and one each at Mandir Marg, Barakhamba Road and Kartavya Path police stations.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report