Global Wave of Support: Digital Strangers Send Mass Online Food Orders to Fuel Jantar Mantar Demonstrators
anuprova 
A wave of nationwide and international solidarity unfolded at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar as hundreds of supporters from across India and abroad began ordering food online for student demonstrators protesting over the NEET-UG examination paper leak controversy. Delivery executives from platforms like Swiggy and Zomato arrived continuously at the protest intersection carrying thousands of prepaid meals—ranging from pizzas, burgers, and thalis to tea, samosas, and momos—with instructions to distribute them to anyone hungry at the site. The spontaneous digital movement, which gained momentum after videos went viral showing delivery riders arriving in pouring rain with orders placed from cities as far as Mumbai, Bengaluru, and even the United States, saw individual orders of up to 80 pizzas being delivered directly to the frontline. With delivery agents making dozens of rounds to deliver food purchased by citizens eager to support the students’ demand for systemic educational reforms and accountability, the influx of meals eventually overwhelmed volunteers on the ground. By late evening, organizing group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) posted an unusual appeal on social media thanking the public for their generosity while requesting supporters to pause further food orders, as the site had received more than enough supplies to feed thousands of demonstrators through the night.
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