‘Today, we won’: Protesters pack up, head home after 36 days at Jantar Mantar

For 36 days, Jantar Mantar was home to thousands of students, volunteers and protesters. On Friday, after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned and the Centre accepted key demands of the CJP, many finally began packing up to head home. For UPSC aspirant Vidya Bhushan Kumar (30), Pradhan’s resignation made the weeks away from home worthwhile. He had been at the protest site since July 20, when the Sansad Chalo march of the protesters turned violent.In Gaya, where he teaches schoolchildren and UPSC aspirants, Kumar had been preparing for what he says will be his final UPSC attempt in 2027. Since June 20, he had been sleeping under a tent near the stage at Jantar Mantar, making one trip a day to Gurdwara Bangla Sahib to use the washroom. “I had appeared for UPSC Mains examinati