The Cockroach Janta Party has accused Delhi Police of failing to explain how a truck carrying stones was placed beside its Jantar Mantar protest before violence erupted during the organisation’s July 20 march towards Parliament.CJP said the vehicle had already been in police custody for four days, contradicting any suggestion that it had arrived independently at the heavily secured protest zone. The group described the dumper as a “mystery” truck and demanded disclosure of the officers responsible for moving it close to thousands of demonstrators. ][1])
Delhi Police rejected claims that the vehicle had been planted to provoke stone-throwing or implicate protesters. Officers said the truck was seized on July 16 after it was involved in a road accident and maintained that its appearance near Jantar Mantar was unrelated to the CJP mobilisation. Police described allegations of a conspiracy as baseless.
The explanation has not settled questions over the truck’s movement. Reporting tracing the vehicle found that it was shifted several times after its seizure, including to the vicinity of the protest, to Bhalswa to unload its contents and later to Raisina Road. Accounts provided by officers connected to the vehicle’s custody were not fully consistent, leaving uncertainty over who authorised each relocation.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke first drew attention to the truck early on July 20, sharing footage that appeared to show stones and construction material inside the vehicle. He asked how such a truck had crossed extensive security arrangements and reached a location close to a planned march involving large numbers of young protesters.
Dipke also pointed to a damaged vehicle near the protest area and alleged that both could be used to create evidence of vandalism. The claims were made before the march moved beyond the designated protest space and before clashes were reported around central Delhi. No publicly verified evidence has established that the truck’s contents were used during the confrontation.
Police had imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita across the New Delhi district ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. Assemblies, processions and demonstrations were restricted outside Jantar Mantar, where gatherings required prior permission.
Security measures included barricades, vehicle inspections, surveillance cameras and deployments of police and paramilitary personnel around Parliament Street, Connaught Place and Central Vista. Police said the CJP had not been granted permission to march towards Parliament and warned that violations could lead to legal action.
Thousands of protesters nevertheless moved from Jantar Mantar towards the parliamentary district on July 20. Police used tear gas and batons as demonstrators pushed against barricades. Authorities later circulated footage that they said showed stone-throwing and damage to property, while protesters alleged excessive force and arbitrary detention.
The truck dispute has become central to competing narratives about the violence. CJP argues that the presence of stones inside a police-controlled vehicle near the gathering requires an independent investigation. Police maintain that demonstrators were responsible for breaches of security and say the dumper had no operational connection to crowd-control arrangements.
The allegation has gained traction because the vehicle was visible before the march began and because access to the district was tightly regulated. Protest organisers say ordinary vehicles and supporters faced extensive checks, making the movement of a seized, stone-filled truck into the area difficult to dismiss as a routine parking decision.
The CJP movement began as an online campaign against alleged irregularities in competitive examinations before developing into a wider youth mobilisation. Its supporters have demanded examination reforms, accountability for paper leaks, compensation for affected families and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
