The NDMC conducted an overnight clean-up at Jantar Mantar after the CJP’s month-long protest over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak ended. The agitation concluded following Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
NDMC Restores Jantar Mantar After Protest
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) carried out an overnight clean-up operation at Jantar Mantar after the conclusion of the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) month-long protest, with workers clearing garbage, washing roads and restoring the site before Sunday morning.
During a visit to the protest site, NDMC Vice Chairman Kuljeet Singh Chahal said the civic body had deployed all available resources to restore the area after protesters dispersed. “After the protest ended yesterday and people began leaving, our entire NDMC team worked through the night. We cleaned the entire Jantar Mantar area, clearing garbage, washing the roads, repainting walls, and restoring the site. All our resources were deployed,” Chahal told reporters.
Month-Long Agitation Ends
The agitation, which lasted more than a month, concluded on Saturday following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The protest had centred on the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and alleged examination irregularities.
During the agitation, activist Sonam Wangchuk undertook a 26-day hunger strike that became a key rallying point for the movement. The protest gained further momentum after Delhi Police shifted Wangchuk from the protest site to Safdarjung Hospital. He was later moved to a private hospital in Gurugram on the directions of the Delhi High Court.
The movement reached its peak on July 20 with the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march, during which police took action against protesters, saying the demonstration had turned violent. The action drew criticism from Opposition parties, whose leaders later joined the protest at Jantar Mantar. Among them were Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav, senior CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, CPI MP P. Sandosh, former Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad.
Dharmendra Pradhan Resigns
Pradhan submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, and it was subsequently accepted. In his resignation letter, he said he was stepping down in the larger interest of students to ensure that the country’s youth do not become “trapped in a web of confusion”.
“For more than four decades, I have been associated with students, teachers, and the cause of education reform. I have always believed that a strong, inclusive, and forward-looking education system is the foundation of a strong nation,” Pradhan said.
Post-Protest Agreements and Return to Normalcy
Following the end of the agitation, the CJP said the government had agreed to provide suitable compensation to the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide and assured the withdrawal of FIRs registered against protesters across the country.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) also announced that entry and exit gates at all stations across the Delhi Metro network had been reopened for passengers following the conclusion of the protest.
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