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Jantar Mantar deserted after CJP calls off protest, municipal corporation steps in to clean | Videos

The lanes of Jantar Mantar, which were packed with people from across the country not less than 24 hours back, are now deserted.

Updated on: Jul 26, 2026, 10:43:40 IST
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Now that the Cockroach Janta Party has moved out of the protest site at Jantar Mantar after education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, New Delhi Municipal Council stepped in to clear out the waste from the area.

An NDMC worker washes the road during a cleanliness drive at the protest site of Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi on Saturday. (PTI)
An NDMC worker washes the road during a cleanliness drive at the protest site of Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi on Saturday. (PTI)

With hundreds of thousands of people gathered at a site every single day, the accumulation of waste was not unprecedented. Over the past few days, the volunteers and some protesters at the site were seen picking up the waste from roads and pavements in and around the protest site.

Also read: Fear of losing Gen Z, poll math forced BJP's hand in Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation

The CJP, founded by Abhijeet Dipke, called off its protest after it said on Saturday that all their demands had been met and held a press conference with union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh.

Soon after, by Saturday night, the NDMC came in to conduct a midnight cleanliness drive at the vacated protest site.

Also read: New paper leak bill prescribes 2-month window for probes, speedy trials

NDMC Vice Chairperson Kuljeet Singh Chahal said that officers and sanitation teams were on the streets to ensure the area was cleaned and restored. "All the NDMC officers are out on the streets. The protest has ended, and people have almost left. By morning, we believe we will clean this entire area--Tolstoy Marg, Jantar Mantar, Sansad Marg, Jai Singh Marg, the CP area," Chahal told news agency ANI.

Jantar Mantar now deserted

The lanes which were packed with people from across the country not less than 24 hours back are now deserted. Morning visuals from Jantar Mantar show a couple of people sleeping on roadside, cops on duty, and police barricades taking up the space on the roads.

Congress Seva Dal workers also joined in on Sunday morning to begin a cleanliness drive at Jantar Mantar after the CJP's 36-day-long agitation was called off.

Dharmendra Pradhan resigns, protest ends at Jantar Mantar

The CJP's primary demand was the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET-UG paper leak. The demand was met on Saturday after Pradhan tendered his resignation.

Also read: Tear gas at 2pm, jubilation by 6: When the waiting paid off at Jantar Mantar

This was historic — the first time a Union minister in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s three terms had to resign due to a street protest.

Pralhad Joshi, Union minister of consumer affairs, was given the additional charge of education ministry shortly after on Saturday.

Since the internet was cut at the protest site, the news of Pradhan's resignation trickled in slowly at the protest site. Within minutes, the entire area erupted into celebrations with dance, hugs, tears, and chants of “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.

Now, less than a day later, the site that witnessed and hosted the protest is deserted and getting ready to welcoming its old habitants — vendors, stray dogs, traffic — back.

  • Nikita Sharma
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Nikita Sharma

    Nikita Sharma is a Senior Content Producer with Hindustan Times. She is a Delhi-based digital journalist with five years of experience writing and editing news stories across beats including crime, politics, tech, trends and much more, both national and international. At Hindustan Times, she is part of the news team and focuses on breaking news, keeping a track of what is happening where, and chasing ever-developing news stories. She has a penchant for covering crime, geopolitics, and Indian politics with a keen eye for stories often overlooked in the daily news cycle. At Hindustan Times, she has extensively covered several key events including the US Presidential elections, Air India plane crash, Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, US’ tariff war, and others. As a Delhi aficionado, she particularly enjoys roaming and writing about the national capital — its heritage, food, art and culture, and the many problems that come with it — the pollution, waterlogging, traffic, and more. Nikita did her Bachelor in Journalism and Mass Communication from GGSIPU and started working as a digital journalist in 2021. During her first stint, she covered hyperlocal news at a Delhi-based newsroom, writing and editing stories on builder-buyer conflicts, civic issues such as potholes, waterlogging, lack of facilities at hospitals in Delhi, crippling of the city during peak monsoon season. She also wrote features covering Delhi’s art exhibitions, heritage walks, artist profiles, museums, classical Hindustani music concerts and dance shows. She entered mainstream news in 2023 and has previously worked at NDTV.Read More

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