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Joining a wave of solidarity protests across India, hundreds assembled in Kochi on Sunday to back activist Sonam Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), whose supporters were marching to Parliament in Delhi. The gathering was held at the Gandhi Peace Foundation in Kacheripady Junction on the evening of July 20, coinciding with the CJP's March to Parliament (Chalo Sansad) at Jantar Mantar in the national capital.
Many participants said they had wanted to travel to Delhi to join the protest but were unable to do so. Instead, they chose to gather in Kochi to express their support and demand accountability from the government following the NEET paper leak.
Sumi Thomas, one of the organisers, said the decision to hold a parallel protest in Kochi was prompted by the inability of many supporters to travel to Delhi.
"On July 19, we created a WhatsApp group with just four people. It has now grown to more than 100 members," she said, explaining how the gathering came together. "We are not anti-national for doing this. Asking the government and the leaders we elected to be accountable is our right," Sumi added.
Malayalam director Jeo Baby also attended the gathering and expressed his support for the movement. "There are children at my home. In the future, they will ask what I was doing then. I want to be able to tell them that I came and stood in this protest," he said.
Throughout the evening, participants addressed the gathering, sang songs, and spoke about the importance of democratic dissent. Several speakers criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government for what they described as its unwillingness to engage in dialogue with the protesters in Delhi.
Similar solidarity gatherings were held in several cities, including Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Nagpur.
Meanwhile, thousands of young people took part in the CJP's March to Parliament in Delhi on the opening day of Parliament's Monsoon Session. The demonstration witnessed clashes between protesters and security personnel, with protesters alleging that police used force to disperse the crowd.
Wangchuk began his indefinite fast earlier this month demanding greater transparency in the NEET paper leak investigation and accountability from the Union government. The CJP's protest at Jantar Mantar was to culminate in the March to Parliament (Chalo Sansad) on the opening day of Parliament's Monsoon Session, with protesters seeking a meeting with the Prime Minister and action on their demands.
However, Wangchuk was forcibly removed from the Jantar Mantar protest site by Delhi Police on July 18 and shifted to Safdarjung Hospital. The protests intensified following this.
Wangchuk said on July 20 that he would continue his fast after witnessing what he described as the brutality inflicted on peacefully protesting youth.