At Jantar Mantar, protesters are using costumes, comedy and free food to keep spirits up and cameras on their cause.
“Follow Gandhi,” the man dressed as the Mahatma told the crowd, urging protesters to stay calm.
The protest against alleged NEET-UG paper leaks has entered its second month at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the demonstration has drawn students, families and activists from across the country. But alongside the slogans and placards, something else has caught people’s attention: costumes.
Gandhi Joins The Crowd
One of the most talked-about sights at the protest site was a man dressed as Mahatma Gandhi. He sat among the demonstrators, holding the national flag, with a placard around his neck asking people to stay peaceful.
His presence linked back to CJP’s own appeal to marchers: carry the flag, a copy of the Constitution, or a picture of Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar or Bhagat Singh, rather than party flags.
Free Milk For Tired Protesters
Not every act of support needs a costume. At one corner of Jantar Mantar, a vendor has been pouring free milk for protesters camping out through the day and night.
Simple gestures like this have kept the sit-in going, even as the crowd swells during marches and thins out in between.
Money Heist Comes To Delhi
A group of protesters chose a different kind of statement. Dressed in the red jumpsuits and masks made famous by the Spanish show Money Heist, they held up placards reading messages about reservation and exam “heists” — a pointed jab linking the show’s bank robbery plot to what protesters call a robbery of their futures.
A Dinosaur Walks Into A Protest
As night fell over Jantar Mantar, a protester in a full dinosaur costume walked through the crowd, drawing laughs, phone cameras and a fair bit of attention.
It is not clear who organised the appearance, but it became one of the more talked-about moments from the ground that evening, adding a rare touch of humour to a protest built on frustration and fatigue.
A Movement That Keeps Changing Shape
Taken together, these moments show how the NEET protest has grown beyond speeches and slogans. What began as anger over alleged paper leaks has turned into a mix of politics, comedy and community support, playing out daily at one of Delhi’s most well-known protest sites.
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