From legal to first aid, support mobilised for CJP protesters; networks formed on social media

As thousands of protesters were detained across Delhi during the CJP agitation over two days, a network of volunteers, doctors, lawyers and social media influencers has stepped forward to help, offering everything from medical assistance to legal aid for the demonstrators.

The support to detainees and their families has been offered both by individuals, as well as coordinated volunteer groups, who are amplifying social media appeals to connect them with relevant resources.

A CJP volunteer, in a social media post, said more than 130 people were now working on a protest support initiative after a meeting of volunteers who had helped protesters during Saturday’s agitation.

“We have about 130-plus people working on this initiative now. So I thought it was time to just turn it into a thing,” the volunteer said in a video outlining plans to bring different support groups together.

The initiative includes a “Detainee Ghar Wapsi Yojana”, aimed at arranging transport and supplies for people returning home after being released from custody, and the Immediate Response First Aid Network (IRFAN), which brings together doctors and volunteers to help injured protesters.

Another initiative, called PAUSE, or People Are Under Systemic Exhaustion, has been developed to connect people experiencing trauma and exhaustion with therapists offering mental health support, according to the volunteer.

The volunteer also announced plans for a scouting team to gather information from the ground, a creator network to keep journalists and others updated about developments at different locations and an information network to collect updates and pass them on to those who need them.

A legal aid network is also being set up to connect detained protesters and their families with lawyers.

“The lawyers, we need you,” the volunteer said, appealing to more legal professionals to join the initiative.

The group is also working to bring together people who have started similar efforts independently. A central command and designated points of contact for each initiative are being planned to coordinate assistance.

The volunteer said the network’s reach had expanded beyond the protest site to the wider Delhi-NCR region, as protesters taken into custody were being moved to different locations, including stadiums and hospitals.

“We are going to be more efficient so that wherever you are, we are there,” the volunteer said, adding that the group would do its best to ensure protesters received support.

Beyond organised initiatives, individual social media users have also been offering help. One user, identifying themselves as a doctor, said they wanted to assist injured protesters and would be available near Gurdwara Bangla Sahib.

Others, including volunteers and legal professionals, have offered their contact details for circulation among protesters and their families, while the social media platform, Instagram, has become the centre for assistance coordination.

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The efforts come as protesters and their supporters navigate a massive deployment of security personnel in the national capital. On Saturday, Delhi Police prevented demonstrators from reaching Jantar Mantar, where the proposed gathering had been denied permission.

More than 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across Delhi as part of the security arrangements. CJP leaders, including Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained as soon as they landed in the city on Saturday, while more than 7,000 protesters were detained at multiple locations.

Several opposition leaders, including former chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar, were also detained while attempting to join the protest.

The CJP and opposition parties have been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission and the conduct of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.