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Police detain people protesting against removal of Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar, in Mumbai on Saturday./ANI Photo
Hundreds of students, youth and senior citizens staged protests in different Maharashtra cities on Monday in support of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janta Party's stir in Delhi demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
Security forces resorted to a baton charge near Parliament Street in New Delhi after thousands of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters, protesting against the paper leaks, allegedly tried to breach barricades while marching towards Parliament on the first day of the Monsoon session.
As CJP supporters, including students, marched towards Parliament, the police tried to stop them and used teargas and lathi-charged them. The police action came two days after Wangchuk was forcefully taken away by Delhi Police from the Jantar Mantar protest site on July 18 and admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital on the 21st day of his hunger strike.
As the CJP agitation and march towards Parliament rocked the national capital, demonstrations broke out in different cities of Maharashtra in their support.
Police detained several protesters in central Mumbai as they gathered at Chaityabhoomi, the cremation place of B R Ambedkar, to express solidarity with Wangchuk and the 'Sansad Chalo' march of the CJP.
Protests were also staged at multiple locations in Mumbai demanding the resignation of Pradhan. -- PTI
