Delhi Police Regulates App-Based Services Near Jantar Mantar Amid CJP-Led Protests

Traffic curbs are now in effect around Jantar Mantar, after Delhi Police on July 24 called on food delivery, ride-hailing, quick-commerce and logistics companies to scale down their presence in the area. The step comes as student protests over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak continue to draw large crowds to the site.

The Delhi Traffic Police told app-based service providers to limit operations within the notified zone for as long as prohibitory orders stay in force. As per the advisory, companies have the option of geo-fencing the restricted stretch or halting rides and deliveries into and out of it, wherever this is practically possible.

"App-based mobility, ride-hailing, food delivery, logistics and e-commerce platforms are advised to regulate operations in the restricted area for the duration of the prohibitory orders to support public safety and maintain law & order," the advisory stated.

Officials said the intent behind the move is to keep drivers, delivery staff and bystanders safe by limiting how much traffic flows into the restricted stretch.

Support Pours in From Across the Country

The advisory follows days of heavy footfall at Jantar Mantar, where the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has been organising protests since early June. Notably, the CJP first emerged as a satirical page online. The group is now demanding accountability over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Its protest has drawn thousands to the site, along with a steady flow of delivery riders dropping off food and water sent in by anonymous supporters unable to attend in person.

Orders placed through apps like Swiggy and Zomato piled up so quickly that organisers had to publicly ask well-wishers to stop sending more. Swiggy rider Pradeep Kumar Singh told ANI that many of these deliveries came without a specific recipient in mind. "An order comes, and then the person says, 'Brother, distribute it right there, give it to whoever needs it.' Yesterday, I had an order for samosas. I was told to just bring them here and distribute them. No one comes to collect them," Singh said.

Some orders arrived from overseas. Mahendra Kumar, another delivery partner, said he had carried a tea order placed by a customer based outside India. "I've brought this order, it was placed from outside India. They said, 'Go to Jantar Mantar and give it to the brothers.' I don't know whose it is, but they told me to give the tea to the brothers who are protesting here," he told ANI.

A rider delivering for Zomato and Zepto called the effort "student service," describing similarly vague instructions from an anonymous sender. "The sender is anonymous. They said, 'Just distribute it.' I don't know who ordered it, but I was just told to go there and hand it over. It's 'student service', it's for the students," he said.

By the night of July 21, the response had grown large enough that the CJP posted on X asking people to stop placing orders for the day, saying supporters had already sent "more than enough food." Two days later, the group's Instagram page shared a different appeal, this time asking for gloves, brooms, water bottles and dustbins rather than more food.

Delhi Police has also asked residents to steer clear of the notified area unless necessary, map out alternate routes in advance, and cooperate with officers stationed on the ground. Ambulances, fire services and other exempted government vehicles will continue operating without restrictions.

Takedown Of Jack Dorsey's Bitchat App 

Separately, authorities have told GitHub to remove repositories linked to Bitchat, a Bluetooth-based messaging app created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. The directive surfaced at a time when protesters in the city reportedly turned to Bluetooth apps to stay in contact following mobile internet suspensions in parts of central Delhi, as per reports.

Dorsey posted screenshots on X of a notice from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, asking GitHub to take down three repositories tied to the app. The notice cited concerns that Bitchat could help users evade internet shutdowns and complicate law enforcement's ability to monitor communication during unrest.

Multiple media reports suggest the mobile internet suspension is what drove more users toward such offline tools in the first place.