While the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) protest over the CBSE and NEET paper leak controversy concluded peacefully at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Saturday, neighbouring Haryana witnessed clashes as police used water cannons and detained Congress leaders during a Youth Congress march towards the chief minister's residence in Kurukshetra.
The Haryana Youth Congress had organised the protest to demand Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and to press for a transparent and error-free examination system. The confrontation escalated after demonstrators attempted to breach police barricades set up near the chief minister's residence.
Congress leaders and workers had gathered at a vacant plot near the residence around noon before marching towards the barricaded zone.
Addressing the gathering, Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda accused the BJP government of repeatedly failing the country's youth through recurring paper leak incidents.
Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib said party workers would continue to hold peaceful protests across the country until Pradhan was removed from office.
According to officials, scuffles broke out when protesters approached the barricades and attempted to climb over them. Police used water cannons to disperse the crowd and detained several demonstrators.
Congress leaders alleged that police also resorted to a lathi charge in an attempt to suppress a peaceful democratic protest.
Among those detained were Hooda, Thanesar MLA Ashok Arora, Shahabad MLA Ram Karan Kala, former MP Kailasho Saini, Chib, Haryana Youth Congress president Nishit Kataria and Pehowa MLA Mandeep Singh Chatha.
Officials said the leaders were briefly taken into custody and released about 15 minutes later on the directions of the duty magistrate.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Sunil Kumar said more than 20 Congress leaders and workers were detained as a precautionary measure before being released shortly thereafter.
Earlier, Kataria accused the government of failing to safeguard students' futures, alleging that repeated paper leak incidents were undermining the hard work and aspirations of lakhs of candidates preparing for competitive examinations.
Ahead of the protest, the district administration had tightened security around the chief minister's residence, erecting multiple layers of barricades and deploying additional police personnel.
Security ramped up in Delhi over CJP protest
Security was heightened across Delhi in anticipation of the protest. Police officials said additional personnel were deployed at the airport, border-entry points and other sensitive locations.
More than 1,000 police personnel were deployed throughout New Delhi and other strategic locations as a precaution.
Six people were detained by the Delhi Police to prevent a possible confrontation between two groups during the CJP's protest at Jantar Mantar, officials said.
The detentions were made as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order after police received inputs about the possibility of tensions between supporters and opposers of the online movement.
In the run-up to the protest, the CJP had circulated guidelines urging participants to maintain a non-violent conduct and avoid confrontation.