Food pours into Jantar Mantar as India rallies behind protesters

New Delhi: As protesters continued their sit-in at Jantar Mantar, an outpouring of public support came not only in the form of slogans and solidarity but also through an extraordinary stream of food deliveries from across Delhi and other parts of the country.

Throughout the day, food packets arrived continuously via delivery platforms such as Zomato, Swiggy and Zepto, as well as through home-cooked tiffins and direct donations. Burgers, pizzas, biryani, chicken pakodas, samosas, chai, bottled water, snacks and complete meals kept reaching the protest site in a steady flow. Many of the deliveries carried no sender's name or contact details, with "Jantar Mantar" serving as the only address on the packages. 

The donated food was arranged along one side of the protest venue in the style of a community buffet, allowing anyone in need to pick up a meal. Volunteers said the volume of food was so large that some of it had to be distributed on the roadside to ensure it reached people quickly.

Protest organisers said support came from people who were unable to attend the demonstration in person but chose to contribute by ordering meals online for those gathered at the venue. Delivery personnel were seen making repeated trips to the protest site carrying burgers, pizzas, biryani, fried snacks, tea and drinking water, alongside home-cooked food sent by well-wishers.

The steady influx of food became so overwhelming that protest leaders appealed from the stage, requesting people to temporarily stop sending more food as there was already enough to feed those present.

In a video posted on X by journalist Soumya Lakhani, a delivery boy could not find any takers for the order he brought and instead himself got a plate of biryani from the protesters. 

The demonstration also witnessed growing participation from different sections of society. Schoolchildren joined the protest during the day, while organisers erected additional tents to shield participants from intermittent rain. Protesters shared breakfast, tea and meals together despite the wet weather, adding to the sense of community at the site.

Actor Prakash Raj also visited Jantar Mantar to express solidarity with the demonstrators, interacting with protesters amid the continuing agitation.

The spontaneous food drive emerged as one of the defining images of the day, reflecting the widespread public support for the protest as citizens from across Delhi—and even from other parts of the country—used food delivery services and personal donations to ensure those at Jantar Mantar did not go hungry.

Tags : Jantar Mantar, Protest, Food, Zomato, Swiggy, Zepto