New Delhi: The chants grew louder and the crowd thicker at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday as fresh groups of protesters from across the country poured into the protest site, many after overnight journeys by bus and train.
Two days after the 'Chalo Sansad' march, the sit-in continued to draw new participants, many walking into the protest site with backpacks and rolled-up banners after travelling through the night. Volunteers directed them towards seating areas and distributed drinking water and food packets as more groups joined the gathering.
Children in school uniforms stood shoulder to shoulder with college students, office-goers and elderly protesters. Some sat on the road listening to speeches from the stage, while others gathered near the police barricades, raising slogans and holding placards above their heads.
As the crowd grew, several protesters climbed onto nearby trees for a better view of the stage and the gathering below, waving flags from the branches as slogans echoed across the site.
The atmosphere remained energetic through the afternoon. Every few minutes, chants demanding accountability and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan broke out from different parts of the gathering.
Volunteers carrying first-aid kits and water bottles moved through the crowd, while new groups of protesters continued to enter the protest site with flags draped over their shoulders and banners tucked under their arms.
