CJP protest highlights: Sonam Wangchuk ends hunger strike after 26 days with Nadda, Jitendra Singh by his side

This live blog has ended. For latest updates on the Jantar Mantar protest, click here.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar as Secretary of the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education, an official government notification said late Thursday night.

His replacement comes amid the ongoing NEET-UG paper leak issue and demands for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Vineet Joshi has been transferred to Secretary in the Department of Panchayati Raj.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Thursday announced that 17 metro stations will remain closed from 7:30 am on Friday until further instructions.

The stations that will remain closed are Lok Kalyan Marg, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Ramakrishna Ashram Marg, Barakhambha Road, Supreme Court, Seva Teerth, Janpath, Mandi House, Central Secretariat, ITO, Delhi Gate, Indraprastha, Khan Market, Jor Bagh, Shivaji Stadium and Jhandewalan.

According to a post by DMRC on X, interchange facilities will continue to remain available at Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House and Central Secretariat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night shared a video message, saying the government would discuss stricter action against paper leaks at Friday's Cabinet meeting.

Reacting to the announcement, Rahul Gandhi called it a "pathetic midnight video" and demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Referring to PM Modi's video, Rahul Gandhi said, "Mr Modi, our students are demanding Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. Don't insult their intelligence with this pathetic midnight video."

"1. Sack Pradhan. 2. Punish those who beat students. 3. Apologise," the Congress leader demanded.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced that a bill with provisions for strict action against paper leaks will be introduced in Parliament next week.

In a video message, Modi said the proposed legislation will be discussed and finalized at the Union Cabinet meeting on Friday. He added that the government will push for its early passage during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.

"The cabinet will discuss the issue of paper leaks on Friday and taking suggestions of the cabinet colleagues, further action would be finalized. On Monday, when the second week of the Monsoon session of Parliament will begin, a bill will be brought with provisions for strong action against paper leaks and we will try to pass it as early as possible," he said.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said he was relieved that Sonam Wangchuk had ended his hunger strike, but added that peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar would continue until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said he was relieved that Sonam Wangchuk had ended his hunger strike and thanked him for his "courage and sacrifice."

"We are relieved and grateful that Sonam sir has ended his hunger strike after 26 days. Thank you, sir, for your extraordinary courage and sacrifice. By putting your own life on the line, you awakened the conscience of an entire nation. Your life is far too precious to this country," he said.

He added that the CJP’s peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar would continue until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted after Sonam Wangchuk ended his hunger strike.

In a post on X, PM Modi urged Wangchuk to follow medical advice and regain his health.

"I urge Sonam ji to follow her routine as per the doctors' advice and regain her old weight as soon as possible. I pray to the Lord that Sonam ji remains healthy," he wrote.

Sonam Wangchuk broke his hunger strike in presence of Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh at the hospital, PTI reported.

Delhi Police detained more than 25 students at Lodhi Colony police station while they were proceeding towards Jantar Mantar with posters for the CJP protest.

Among those held were a student from Jamia Millia Islamia and another from Delhi University.

Police termed the action as preventive under the Delhi Police Act to prevent them from joining an unlawful assembly.

South East District Police took preventive action and detained more than 200 people over three days. Most detainees, picked up from inter-district pockets and border areas, were later released after verification.

CJP protest LIVE: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday responded to the Delhi Police's clarification that there was no plan to crack down on the ongoing student protest on Thursday night.

In a post on X, Kejriwal wrote, "Thank you @DelhiPolice for clarifying that there is no plan to crack down 'tonight'. Kindly inform when is it planned."

CJP protest LIVE: CJP leader Abhijit Deepke on Thursday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that the government's action against Sonam Wangchuk had only strengthened the ongoing protest movement.

Addressing protesters at Jantar Mantar, Deepke said, "I want to thank Narendra Modi because if he hadn't removed Sonam Wangchuk from here (Jantar Mantar), our movement wouldn't have become this big..."

CJP protest LIVE: Delhi Police on Thursday said that at least 480 Pakistan-based social media handles involved in coordinated misinformation campaigns were identified and blocked.

The police appealed to the students and youth to be wary of such foreign accounts spreading rumours to mislead the situation.

CJP protest LIVE: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announced that entry gates for Mandi House, Rajiv Chowk and Central Secretariat metro stations are now open.

CJP protest LIVE:Sonam Wangchuk on Thursday said he was "pained to learn that elsewhere some antisocial elements are taking advantage of the peaceful protests to provoke violence," while asserting that the demonstrations at Jantar Mantar had remained peaceful.

Marking Day 26 of the protest, Wangchuk appealed to demonstrators to maintain non-violence, writing, "No matter what the other side does our response must only be flowers. Please keep this tradition at all costs."

CJP protest LIVE: The University of Delhi (DU) has advised its students and faculty to stay away from Jantar Mantar, warning that participation in unlawful assemblies or demonstrations could invite legal action and adversely affect students' safety, academics and future professional opportunities.

In an advisory, the university urged students to prioritise their safety and comply with the law. It also cautioned them against fake and misleading content being circulated online, saying such material was fuelling the situation.

CJP protest LIVE: While the order specifies a 1.5-km radius around Jantar Mantar, HT’s tests found that internet connectivity remained unavailable at least up to Andhra Pradesh Bhavan on Ashoka Road, which is about 1.8 kilometers from the protest site.

Services resumed upon reaching Copernicus Marg via Ashoka Road, broadly matching the notified shutdown area.

The radius of no internet connectivity included Janpath market near Connaught Place, Le Meridien, Shangri-La hotel, National Media Centre, Indian Women's Press Corps office.

CJP protest LIVE: Delhi Police on Thursday dismissed reports suggesting that it was planning an overnight crackdown on the ongoing student protest in the national capital.

In a statement, the police said there was no such plan and urged people to refrain from spreading or circulating "misleading" and "unverified" information.

CJP protest LIVE: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday met BJP leader and Gandhi Smriti Vice Chairman Vijay Goel during the INDIA bloc's visit to Gandhi Smriti in New Delhi.

The meeting took place after Opposition MPs reached the memorial as part of their protest over the alleged paper leak issue.

CJP protest LIVE: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, along with Congress leaders and MPs from the INDIA bloc, paid homage at Gandhi Smriti on Thursday to students who allegedly died by suicide amid concerns over paper leaks and examination-related stress.

The Opposition leaders observed a tribute as part of their protest, expressing solidarity with students and calling for accountability over the alleged irregularities in the examination system.

CJP protest LIVE: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday questioned the heavy police deployment and road barricades in Delhi after alleging that more than 100 Opposition MPs were stopped while travelling to Gandhi Smriti.

In a post on X, Chidambaram said the MPs had assembled and boarded buses to visit Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Marg but had remained inside the vehicles for over 25 minutes as roads were barricaded. He claimed that hundreds of police personnel had been deployed to "secure" the roads and asked, "What is the government afraid of? Why this sense of panic?"

CJP protest LIVE: The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Thursday alleged that it was receiving multiple reports of students being "randomly picked up" from the streets while travelling to or returning from Jantar Mantar and being detained by the Delhi Police.

In a post on X, the party urged the Delhi Police to stop what it described as "arbitrary detentions" and the harassment of students, asserting that participating in a peaceful protest is not a crime.