Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation on Saturday marked the protesters' first major political victory in the ongoing agitation over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak. But for traders and street vendors in Delhi's Connaught Place and Janpath, little changed.
Mobile internet disruptions, Metro station closures and dwindling footfall continued to hurt business, with many saying the political breakthrough had yet to translate into relief on the ground as protesters vowed to continue until their remaining demands were met.
The protesters, however, made it clear that the agitation was far from over. "Jhukti hai duniya, jhukane wala chahiye," said Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, shortly after Pradhan stepped down. The organisation said the resignation fulfilled only one of its three demands and that the sit-in at Jantar Mantar would continue until the remaining demands were met. These include Rs 1 crore compensation for the families of students who died by suicide and assurance that no action will be taken against student protesters.
“There's no need to be afraid. This is democracy. He has resigned, but we have two more demands. We won't go like this. Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned. But the families of the children who committed suicide should receive compensation of one crore rupees. They should get it. One crore rupees compensation to all those families. And second, these police goons who acted on the 20th. Action must be taken against the police officers for that. Remember, do not mess with cockroaches,” Abhijeet Dipke said these as per CJP post on social media X.
Internet Curbs Persist Regardless
For traders, that meant another day of uncertainty. BW Businessworld found mobile internet connectivity around Janpath remained unstable until at least 2.30 pm today, with several vendors saying unreliable internet had become as damaging as the decline in footfall because most transactions in the area are now completed digitally.
The New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) said its members had already reported business losses of between 20 and 35 per cent during the first three days of the protest, according to media reports quoting association president Atul Bhargava. In a separate letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 July 2026, the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) estimated that Delhi's markets, hotels and restaurants had collectively lost around Rs 1,500 crore over the preceding five days, with daily trade in the capital declining by nearly 70 per cent.
The trade body said market footfall had dropped by 70 per cent, nearly 300,000 shoppers from neighbouring states had stopped travelling to Delhi, while the temporary closure of Metro stations and traffic diversions around Jantar Mantar, Parliament Street and Connaught Place had further affected commercial activity.
"Delhi is the country's largest business hub. Lakhs of people commute here daily. But due to the protests at Jantar Mantar and the Metro shutdown for the last five days, the work of 1.5 million traders and 1 million MSMEs has come to a complete standstill…We respect democracy and the right to peaceful protest. But we urge the central government to find a quick solution through dialogue to save trade, tourism and employment," wrote Brijesh Goyal, Chairman, CTI, in the letter.
Vendors Falling Footfall
For more than a decade, Ram Prasad (name changed) has run a small fruitchat near Janpath Metro station. He knows the rhythm of the neighbourhood well. Office-goers stopping for a quick meal before heading home once formed the backbone of his evening business. Today, he says, that crowd has all but disappeared. Getting to work has also become more expensive.
Until a few days ago, he travelled directly by Metro. Now, station closures mean getting off at New Delhi station and taking an auto-rickshaw for the rest of the journey, adding to his daily costs before he even opens his stall.
"The biggest issue is not opening late; it is the internet. Many customers want to pay through UPI, but payments fail because of poor internet connectivity. We are forced to refuse customers despite having food ready," Ram told BW Businessworld.
He said regular orders from nearby office workers had helped keep the business afloat in the early days of the protest, but even those have dwindled as several offices shifted employees to work from home or advised staff to avoid the area. "Earlier, protests would happen and people would hardly notice. Now Metro disruptions and internet restrictions have made daily business unpredictable," he said.
Mobile Data Suspension
His experience mirrors the restrictions imposed around Jantar Mantar over the past week. Since 17 July, the Union Home Ministry has issued separate orders suspending mobile internet services within a 1.5 km radius of the protest site under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and the Telecommunications (Temporary Suspension of Services) Rules, 2024, citing public safety. The restrictions have coincided with repeated Metro station closures and traffic diversions across central Delhi, while a public interest litigation challenging the internet suspension was heard by the Delhi High Court on 24 July.
A few hundred metres away, Suresh Kumar has been making similar calculations every evening. The popcorn seller, who travels daily from Paharganj, had returned from his hometown expecting the festive season to bring stronger earnings. Instead, he says his income has fallen to less than half of what he would normally make.
"The area around my usual spot has become deserted because of the protest. I just hope things return to normal and office crowds come back," he said.
Repeated internet disruptions have added another layer of uncertainty. Kumar said many customers scan the QR code but leave when payments fail. By 6.30 pm. each evening, he shifts his cart from Janpath to a spot closer to Jantar Mantar in the hope of finding more customers, though he says the move has done little to improve sales.
Upcoming Festive Season
The impact is being felt beyond roadside vendors. Inside Connaught Place, Ashok Mehra (name changed), who owns a clothing shop, said the slowdown has come at one of the most important times of the retail calendar.
"Today I sold to only one customer. Even on a slow day, we would usually serve 10 to 15 customers. Although many students are in the area, that is not translating into sales. Most of them prefer online payments, and when internet services are affected, we lose those customers too," he said, pointing to the approaching Raksha Bandhan season, which typically brings a surge in shoppers.
The disruption has also extended beyond retail trade. In its letter to the Prime Minister, CTI said a business conference scheduled for 25 July 2026 at the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) Convention Centre, expected to attract more than 2,000 business delegates from across the country, had to be postponed because of the prevailing situation.
The organisation has urged the government to immediately begin talks with the protesters to bring the agitation to an end. It has also proposed that protests involving more than 1,000 people should not be permitted at Jantar Mantar or in major commercial and government zones, suggesting that a permanent protest site be developed on Delhi's outskirts.
Road Ahead Remains Unclear
Pradhan's resignation, announced in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi citing the interests of students, marked the first major concession to protesters since activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike on 23 July 2026. Traders around Connaught Place, however, said it remained unclear whether the development would result in the withdrawal of internet restrictions, Metro closures and security measures that have disrupted business over the past week.
"Students are fighting for the right thing. Even on 20 July 2026, when some unwanted elements created trouble, the students did not cause us any harm or damage our stalls. They have always treated us respectfully. We only hope both sides resolve the issue soon so that the students' concerns are addressed and business can also return to normal," Prasad told BW Businessworld.
With the CJP's remaining demands over compensation and protection for protesters still unresolved, the internet restrictions, Metro closures and trader losses around Connaught Place look set to continue for now. |
