Overview
- Videos circulated widely showing the Janpath Blue Tokai opening its doors to people fleeing police action, with footage indicating staff let protesters shelter inside after police used tear gas and batons to disperse crowds.
- The cafe’s co-founder, Matt Chitharanjan, reshared one of the videos on Instagram Story and wrote that he was “so so proud” of the team for handling the violence and chaos.
- Eyewitness posts and clips documented staff refilling water bottles for free and setting up a basic first-aid response inside the outlet, and Blue Tokai’s official account reacted to a viral post with a blue heart emoji.
- News outlets reported the viral social posts and reached out to Blue Tokai for formal comment, while multiple reports caution that the scale of aid and official police accounts rely mainly on on-scene user footage and statements.
- The incident occurred during the Cockroach Janta Party’s sustained protests over alleged NEET irregularities that seek the education minister’s resignation, and the attention on the cafe shows how local businesses and social media can shape public view of street protests.