Ground report: Inside the CJP protest, surging crowds, police crackdown

Central Delhi looked like a fortress on Monday as Delhi Police clamped down on the surging crowds which gathered peacefully in the morning but grew increasingly agitated towards the afternoon.

As of 3 pm, all entry points around central Delhi were sealed as the police clamped down on the crowd with stampede-like situation developing at various places.

This correspondent barely escaped a stampede-like situation and helped a protester get to safety after he fainted.

As the gathering crossed about 10,000, the agitators appeared to go out of hand with even CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke unable to control them.

Though CJP spokesman Saurav Das claimed that Dipke had been taken in preventive detention, he later clarified that no such detention happened.

With a large gathering still present outside Kerala House at Jantar Mantar the cops have deployed teargas to control the crowds at some locations.

Delhi Police sources said they would be able to handle the situation even as CJP leaders posted social media updates on “brutal police crackdown”.

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On the ground, currently it appears that the crowds are out of control and several protesters have fainted with no medical or ambulance facility available nearby except one-odd ambulance at the Jantar Mantar site.

The protests continue to unfold with several political leaders and influencers joining it.