Supporters send food deliveries to India's education protest camp

Supporters from across India are sending large amounts of food and drinks to education-reform protesters camped at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

The mostly young demonstrators have occupied the protest site since last month to demand the resignation of India's education minister over exam-paper leaks. The movement has widened from anger over the exam system into a broader expression of frustration among young Indians, drawing thousands into the streets and leading to what the source describes as the biggest protests seen in Delhi in about five years.

The protests are being led by the social media-driven Cockroach Janta Party movement, known as CJP. It was launched in May by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old public relations graduate.

Since police moved to crack down on tens of thousands of protesters in Delhi on Monday, food deliveries to the camp have continued heavily. Delivery riders from online platforms have been moving through barricades with pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, tea and other supplies sent by people who cannot attend the protest in person.

Volunteer Vuyom Chabbra, 26, thanked people sending food and water, but said protesters also needed items such as fans, masks and goggles. Student Kaanita, 21, said volunteers were seeing fast food, Indian breads and curries, desserts and other items, but said food was a small part of the protest and that the main demand remained the education minister's resignation.

Tensions escalated on Monday after police fired tear gas and charged demonstrators with batons as they tried to march on parliament during the opening day of the session. Protesters responded by throwing stones. At Jantar Mantar itself, the atmosphere has often been festive, with groups debating politics at night, speakers addressing crowds, and participants singing protest songs and reciting poems.

Joginder Singh, a 45-year-old businessman volunteering at the camp, said supporters from Mumbai, Chennai and Punjab had been ordering deliveries directly to the protest site. He said volunteers distribute the food to protesters, including pizza and burgers.

Managing the deliveries has been difficult because of police barricades, intermittent internet connection and security checks. Akhil, a 26-year-old delivery rider, said he had delivered at least 50 orders since Tuesday. He said many orders came from outside Delhi and that around a dozen riders had collectively delivered about 500 orders in recent days, enough to feed at least 10,000 people at Jantar Mantar.