Hundreds of women and men defying the blockade set up all over the city under the Home Minister’s instructions marched in a militant demonstration against the Clinton yatra. Organised by the Committee Against US Imperialism comprising of the four Left Parties the CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc, the procession started from Mandi House at noon. Earlier tempos and vans of the demonstrators had been stopped in different places the police but the workers managed to reach the place. There was a huge bigger than life size effigy of Clinton followed by numerous banners. Some of them read "Clinton hands off the India sub-Continent," " Clinton Go Back India is not for sale", "Clinton-Killer of hundreds of Iraqi Children Go Back", "Clinton – India says not to CTBT", "Clinton India Says no to US Hegemony". Shouting slogans the procession marched through Barakhamba road. In the lead were CPI(M) Polit Bureau members Prakash Karat, S. R. Pillai, Dr. M.K Pandhe, CPI central executive member Atul Anjan, RSP leader Abani Roy, Forward Bloc leader Devrajan, leaders of mass organisations including Brinda Karat(AIDWA) P K Ganguly (CITU0 N K Shukla (Kisan Sabha) JNU students union president Siddheswar Shukla, CPI(M) MPs Suresh Kurup, Sarla Maheshwari, Sunil Khan, Swadesh Chakravarty and Delhi CPI(M) secretary Pushipinder Grewal and Jogendra Sharma, CPI(M), central committee member.

The procession marched through Tolstoy Marg to Kasturba Gandhi Marg towards the American Centre. The police had put up barricades. The leaders informed the police that the procession would go peacefully to the centre and a meeting would be held, but without any warning the police started water cannoning the processionists. In the first assault several people were injured including the SFI president Siddheswar whose eye was damaged as well as Kusuma Devi who was thrown back with the force of the water. However the processionists refused to disperse, the police water canoed them seven times and later lathicharged the processionists. However there was a regrouping and a meeting was held addressed by the leaders of the four parties. Prakash Karat speaking on behalf of the CPI(M) reflected the mood of the demonstration and indeed that of the majority of the Indian people when he said that India would not tolerate being dictated to by Clinton the killer of human rights in Iraq, in Cuba, in Yugoslavia and in numerous third world countries. He said it was a shame that the government of India was appealing to the country responsible for global terrorism to declare Pakistan a terrorist state. He said this was an invitation for US intervention which India opposed. He demanded that the Vajpayee government demand the removal of all sanctions, and stop giving concessions to US multinational companies. He warned the government that the India people would not accept any surrender to US pressure. Others who spoke were Atul Anjan, Abani Roy and Devrajan. The demonstrators defied Sec. 144 and were arrested.