Staff Reporter / New Delhi
Cockroach Janata Party CJP has warned that it will be forced to sit on protest again if the FIRs registered against students and other protesters are not withdrawn immediately and those detained are not released.
Party (CJP) spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka on Monday said that his youth organisation could resume its protest if the FIRs registered against students and other protesters are not withdrawn immediately and those detained are not released.
In a post on X, Ranka addressed Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh and alleged that the government’s assurance of no punitive action against protesters was being breached. He claimed that hundreds of students had been arrested in Bihar and West Bengal, while others were being detained or harassed in Delhi and other states.
“We are observing a complete breach of the agreement regarding no police action against the protestors. Hundreds of students have been arrested in Bihar and Bengal, and hundreds are being surveilled/harassed in Delhi and other states. Multiple reports are emerging in Delhi around detention of volunteers supporting protestors with logistics,” he wrote.
Ranka said the CJP would be ‘forced to sit on protest again’ if the government failed to act on its demands.
“We demand that all the FIRs against the protestors be immediately withdrawn, students be released and no future FIRs be filed (in line with our agreement) by Delhi police / Central investigative agencies / Police in BJP-allied states, FAILING WHICH WE WILL BE FORCED TO SIT ON PROTEST AGAIN,” Ranka further wrote.
Concluding his post, Ranka wrote: “We also demand that the written agreement around legal cases be shared with us by tomorrow, the aligned timelines with the Government of India.”
The remarks come amid continuing police action following protests held in Bihar on July 22 and July 25. Lawyers representing those detained said nearly 200 people remained in custody at police stations across the state after the demonstrations.
The CJP had earlier ended its 36-day protest at Jantar Mantar after three rounds of discussions with the Centre. The agitation sought accountability over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination and broader reforms to the examination system.
The organisation called off the protest after the Centre accepted several key demands, including the resignation of then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The government had also agreed to work towards withdrawing FIRs against peaceful protesters, provide compensation to families of students who died by suicide in line with existing rules, and consider the group’s five-point charter on examination reforms.
On Monday, however, the CJP alleged that these commitments were not being implemented. It said it had received reports of students and other protesters being detained or arrested in Bihar, West Bengal and Assam despite assurances that there would be no retaliatory action.
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya K Sharma said 86 people arrested during the July 25 violence near Gandhi Maidan had been sent to judicial custody, while another 60, including women and minors, were released on personal bonds. Police also registered multiple FIRs in connection with the July 22 and July 25 protests.
The warning comes as authorities continue action over the Bihar protests. In Siwan, a police personnel was suspended after allegedly firing an AK-47 during violence linked to the bandh. Police said several personnel sustained injuries during the clashes.
The CJP said its legal team was working with lawyers in the affected states to secure the release of detainees and extend legal assistance.
The organisation also urged the Centre to fulfil its commitment by sharing the written agreement and ensuring that FIRs against protesters are withdrawn.
The CJP had withdrawn its agitation after reaching an understanding with the Centre following the resignation of Pradhan, who stepped down taking moral responsibility amid weeks of protests over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and examination irregularities.
Following Pradhan’s resignation, the Modi Government appointed BJP leader Pralhad Joshi as the new Union education minister.
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