NEW DELHI: A ‘free library’ has emerged as a distinctive feature at the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest site at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.Reportedly, protesters said students, supporters, parents and peers have collectively donated nearly 100 books from their personal collections to set up the library.The reading corner was organised by the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) of Delhi University, news agency PTI reported.“As part of our ‘Fight for Education with Education’ initiative, we set up a library at the protest site. It shows how different this protest is from others,” said Devang Aniket, an AISF member.Several protesters were seen browsing and reading books at the stall, which includes titles on biographies, anthropology, history, law and civil rights.“Literacy and awareness are the only ways to fight a corrupt education system. People have told us that these books have helped them better understand their civil rights, the country’s history and its present condition,” a protester said.The CJP continued its sit-in at Jantar Mantar for the third consecutive day on Monday, protesting alleged examination irregularities and the May 3 NEET paper leak.The protest, which began on Saturday afternoon, carried on overnight, with participants staying at the site amid police deployment.Some NEET aspirants who appeared for the re-examination on Sunday also joined the demonstration, sharing their experiences and demanding accountability.Amid slogans calling for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, protesters narrated personal stories and expressed solidarity with the movement. Among them were three friends from Uttarakhand who travelled to Delhi without informing their parents.“We told our parents that we were coming to Delhi for an interview. We stood for hours in a general coach to reach here and join the protest. We plan to stay until the protest ends,” said 24-year-old Manpreet Singh, who arrived with his friends.Another protester, Saurabh from Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, said he had taken part in the first phase of the agitation on June 6 and returned again on June 20.According to PTI, one of the most striking stories was that of 35-year-old Babita Anjali from Odisha, who is battling liver cancer and attended the protest with her 13-year-old son and medical equipment.“I am a mother, and I cannot begin to imagine the pain that the parents of students who died by suicide must have gone through. I came here for my own child. Every student in this country is like my own,” she said.Anjali said she arrived in Delhi on Saturday and has been staying at the protest site day and night in support of the cause.“It is high time that change is brought in this country. Students are the backbone of our nation, and their lives should not be played with,” she said, holding her medical equipment.(With agency inputs)
