‘We became a bridge’: Volunteers crowdfund to send stranded CJP protesters home after Jantar Mantar stir

NEW DELHI: “At around 2 pm on July 26, I came across a 19-year-old student near a shop at the Jantar Mantar who had almost fainted and needed help with food and shelter,” said Meghnad S, youtuber and former journalist who first highlighted the Chief Justice of India's “cockroaches” remarks on the unemployed youth through an Instagram reel.

Soon after the former education minister Dharmendra Pradhan had resigned from his post on the afternoon of July 25, Delhi Police started clearing out the area around Jantar Mantar where the Cockroach Janta Party had staged their protest against exam paper leaks for over a month. Tear-gas shells were fired as thousands of students were dispersed. Amid the chaos, many lost their phones, wallets and belongings, while others found themselves stranded in the national capital with little or no money to return home, said Meghnad.

While the protest was on, volunteers arranged for food, water and space to sleep. “Once the police cleared the area, that entire support system disappeared overnight,” he stated. On the same afternoon, as Meghnad walked around, he found many more protesters and students, simply stranded with no idea where to go.

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"Many had lost their phones during the police action on July 20. Others had misplaced their IDs, wallets and personal belongings."

Meghnad and a few volunteers started a “relief effort” to help protestors. “What followed was a spontaneous relief effort led by volunteers who had until then been helping with food, water and medical assistance at the protest site. Over the next several days, we crowdfunded nearly Rs 2.7 lakh, arranged train tickets, food, temporary accommodation, clothes and phones, helping 127 students and protesters return home,” Meghnad told Careers360.

This initiative was separate from the protest and there was no support from the CJP leadership.

CJP Protest: Help desk at Janpath coffee shop

“On July 25, Delhi Police completely cordoned off the protest site. Many volunteers were not allowed to enter the protest site which was home for many. Their belongings were thrown away by the police,” said another volunteer, who did not want to be named.

Next morning, Meghnad and another volunteer, Rajiv Choudhary, a working professional, returned to the site hoping to support people but realised they would need funds for it. Meghnad made an appeal for donations through an Instagram reel, “SOS relief to send protestors back home”.

“The reel that became a relief network and eventually into an informal help desk at Blue Tokai at Janpath Gate 2,” Meghnad said. Volunteers began sitting outside the coffee shop asking stranded protesters to reach them.

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Soon, more volunteers joined them “The first group of around nine students arrived. They had come from states including Tripura, Maharashtra and Kerala,” said Choudhary.

Volunteers booked train tickets, arranged food and gave inexpensive keypad phones to students who had lost their mobiles so they could contact their families.

Fundraising for travel, stay

Over the next few days, Meghnad and other volunteers helped 127 protesters return home.

"We spent around Rs 2.7 lakh on train tickets, food, temporary accommodation, clothes, footwear, phones and other essentials."

Initially, Meghnad used his own savings. His partner also contributed. Choudhary used some funds that remained from an earlier fundraiser. “When our money ran out, I reached out only to a small number of people who had already offered help after seeing my reel," Meghnad said.

He deliberately avoided collecting money from unknown donors. “Around seven or eight people contributed financially. Apart from that, volunteers and well-wishers would simply arrive and directly pay for train tickets whenever groups of students came,” said another volunteer, who didn't want to be named. An Indian living abroad transferred Rs 20,000 specifically to fund train tickets.

“Sometimes someone would sponsor tickets for four or five students. We mostly acted as a bridge between stranded protesters and people willing to help,” Choudhary said.

‘Runaway’ students, workers

There were many “runaways” among stranded protesters.

“On July 26, I met a 21-year-old student from Kolkata. She told me that she wanted to go home as she had come without informing her family and had almost no money left,” said Choudhary.

Every request, Choudhary said, was verified before assistance was provided. “We would ask students to speak to their parents on the phone so we knew they were genuinely travelling home.”

According to the volunteers, nearly 90% of those they assisted were students, mostly aged between 18 and 23 years. “These people included aspirants from several states, unemployed youth, farmers and labourers. Some were runaway children who had left difficult family situations," Sathpathy said. He added, "I can relate because I was also a runaway child at one point. You naturally develop empathy when you hear those stories.”

However, on July 27, volunteers began noticing that they were being watched.

"Our location became public. One volunteer was followed home. At one point, someone sat next to us at the restaurant wearing Meta smart glasses. We felt uncomfortable," said Choudhary.

Shelter after Jantar Mantar

Not everyone could leave Delhi immediately after the CJP protest wound down.

Some had train tickets for the following days and needed a place to stay. Initially, many protesters found shelter at Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. As that space filled up, the Indian Youth Congress opened its office, arranging beds and temporary shelter.

Several other volunteer groups also joined the effort by arranging medical assistance, connecting donors with students and helping coordinate travel.

"It gradually became a collective relief effort involving many individuals and support groups," Meghnad said.