New Delhi, 27 July— Even as the ruling BJP has gone on a overdrive to malign and discredit the public image of the two and half months old youth outfit, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) today issued a warning to the government expressing concern over arrests of protestors in Assam, Bengal and Bihar despite government assurance that no punitive action will be taken.
“We demand that all the FIRs against the protestors be immediately withdrawn, students be released and no future FIRs be filed (in line with our agreement) by Delhi police / Central investigative agencies / Police in BJP-allied states,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,” CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka wrote on X.
Ranka further asked the government, particularly Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, to ensure no charges are filed against protestors. Ranka also called for all detained students to be released immediately.
A video of CJP spokespersons Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka celebrating Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation after weeks of protest by students is being used by the ruling BJP to question the youth organisation’s conduct immediately after the Jantar Mantar movement.
The organisation urged Centre to ensure their immediate release and withdrawal of FIRs.
In yet another post on X, chief CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said, “Such breach of trust will be completely unacceptable to the youth,” while asserting that the party had called off its nationwide protest after the government assured that no punitive action would be taken against protesters.
“We are deeply concerned by multiple reports reaching us of students and other protesters being targeted, detained, or arrested by various state agencies, particularly in Assam, Bengal, and Bihar,” Das said.
Assuring protesters of legal support, Das said, “First, we wish to assure every protestor that our legal team is already coordinating with brilliant lawyers in the concerned states to secure the release of those detained and to extend all possible legal assistance. This has been happening from Day 1.”
He further said, “Second, we call upon the Government of India, particularly JP Nadda ji and Dr Jitendra Singh ji, to immediately honour the assurance given to us by ensuring the release of those detained and by directing that no coercive or retaliatory action is taken against any protestor anywhere in the country. The FIRs registered ought to be withdrawn too.”
The CJP asked the BJP government to provide a written guarantee by Tuesday, 28 July 2026. Das added that the party would consider “further necessary steps” if those detained were not released and the FIRs were not withdrawn.
The CJP ended its 36-day protest on 25 July (Saturday) after the Centre accepted several of its key demands, including examination reforms, and education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned.
The organisation said the government’s commitments must now be implemented in both letter and spirit.
Ashutosh Ranka, CJP spokesperson also accused the government of breaching a no-police-action agreement by arresting hundreds of students.
Ranka demanded immediate release of students, withdrawal of all FIRs nationwide, and sharing of the written agreement by the next day or CJP will restart protests, highlighting enforcement tensions post-settlement.
AISA National President Neha Bora said, “The Union government had assured that no cases would be filed against students protesting against the paper leak and that the existing cases would be withdrawn. However, hundreds of students remain in jail across Bihar. Arresting students and invoking serious charges such as attempt to murder against them for protesting is unacceptable. The government must honour its assurance and withdraw all cases against the protesters; otherwise, Bihar, too, will witness protests similar to those in Delhi.”
They issued a statement on Saturday saying that they were bringing their protests to an end, cheering what they portrayed as a victory in the struggle with Modi’s government.
“All our demands have been accepted, so we request the protesters to withdraw immediately and return home peacefully,” Saurav Das told reporters.
“We had demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of NEET victims. The government has agreed to this, stating that an honorary compensation will be given to those families under whatever rules and regulations allow.
Meanwhile, the BJP is trying to malign the CJP image.
Sharing a video of celebrations by CJP leaders and supporters, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya said that while everyone deserves to unwind and celebrate after a hard day’s work, there should be a time and place for it.
“When a movement is presented as a fight for justice for students, including those whose deaths by suicide are invoked as its moral foundation, scenes of dancing and what appears to be a celebratory party immediately afterwards strike a jarring contrast,” he said.
Calling CJP leaders’ celebrations after Pradhan’s resignation “deeply insensitive”, Malviya said it was like “dancing at someone’s funeral while claiming to mourn their loss.”
Earlier, a video of Vijeta Dahiya (sacked CJP spokesperson) dancing on stage had gone viral. Dahiya was sacked by the CJP after another video of himself having a burger during the Parliament march went viral.
Malviya said that after Vijeta Dahiya, visuals showing CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke’s group, including Sourav, Ranka and others, celebrating raise uncomfortable questions.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
