NEW DELHI — Chaos unfolded in the national capital on Tuesday, July 21, as Times Now reporter Dev Kotak was brutally mobbed and assaulted while covering ongoing demonstrations at Jantar Mantar. Concurrently, high-profile political drama erupted near the Prime Minister’s residence, leading to the detention of key Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Reporter Recounts Near “Mob Lynching” Experience
Dev Kotak, who has been reporting on the CJP (Cockroach Janata Party) protests for over 20 days, described the attack as a near “mob lynching.” According to Kotak, a hostile group of over 100 protesters surrounded him while he was reporting from the ground.
“I was reporting from the Jantar Mantar protest site. While I was doing my job, a group of protesters suddenly surrounded me. They started pushing me and pulling me. My shirt was ripped apart, and my jeans were also torn during the attack,” Kotak recalled.
“They tried to stop us from filming. They pushed me repeatedly and grabbed my clothes… There were slaps. There were kicks. There were punches; water bottles were thrown. The top priority for me was to save my life and get out from there alive.”
Amidst the violent frenzy, several protesters stepped in to form a protective human shield around Kotak, pulling him away from the aggressive crowd and enabling his safe escape.
Have known Dev since our college days. He is truly a gem of a person- calm, composed, and not easily provoked. While I understand the frustrations with the media house he works for, there is no justification whatsoever for attempting to mob-lynch a journalist. An unruly crowd… https://t.co/Ys9rmGv1IF pic.twitter.com/WRaXC5ILzC
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) July 21, 2026
Protesters Reassemble at Jantar Mantar Following Parliament March
The assault followed a turbulent day after student demonstrators and CJP supporters marched toward Parliament, leading to clashes with law enforcement personnel that left several police officers and protesters injured.
By Tuesday, Jantar Mantar was again packed with students, parents, and activists demanding answers over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination, alongside repeated calls for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
