Will resume protests if govt doesn't withdraw FIRs against protesters today: CJP

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday warned of fresh nationwide protests, accusing the Centre of reneging on its promise to withdraw FIRs against student protesters despite the Supreme Court's interim relief for those arrested during the agitation.The CJP's threat came hours after the Supreme Court directed states to release all detained students below 18 and those without criminal antecedents arrested during the nationwide paper leak protests. It also ordered that no coercive action be taken in FIRs linked to the CJP-led protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and other states.In a statement, the CJP expressed concern over a part of the Supreme Court order, which allows governments to continue with existing FIRs and investigations. "The interim order passed by the Supreme Court of India in the batch of PILs related to the CJP protest must ring alarm bells across the country," it said."The direction runs contrary to the assurance it says the Centre gave on July 25 – that FIRs against peaceful protesters would be withdrawn, and no student would face direct or indirect punitive action," it said. The outfit asserted it had called off its nationwide agitation only after receiving that assurance and now feared the Centre and BJP-ruled states could use the court's order to continue criminal proceedings against individual protesters.The CJP also questioned why the government's lawyers did not inform the Supreme Court about the understanding reached with the outfit, despite talks continuing until late on Monday. Calling the Supreme Court's interim order "wholly unacceptable", the CJP argued that the Centre was aware of the commitments it had made to the protesting students but failed to place them before the court.CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the outfit would return to the streets if students continued to face police action. "If the harassment of students at the hands of the police continues, the Cockroach Janta Party will respond with a massive peaceful protest soon. The Government must stop targeting and witch-hunting students," he tweeted.At the same time, the CJP maintained that the Supreme Court had not directed governments to continue the FIRs. It said the executive still had the power to withdraw cases or decide not to pursue action against peaceful protesters, citing Bihar and Assam as examples where such action had been taken.It urged the Centre and the concerned BJP- and NDA-ruled state governments to place the terms of the July 25 assurance before the Supreme Court so that the court could consider the government's commitments while hearing the matter.The outfit said the deadline for the Centre to honour its assurances expired on Tuesday and demanded immediate withdrawal of the FIRs, protection for protesters from any future punitive action, and implementation of what it described as both the "letter and spirit" of the agreement that ended the agitation.Warning of another round of protests, the CJP said it would have "no option" but to resume its nationwide movement if the government failed to keep its word. "The youth of India entered into this understanding in good faith. That good faith must not be betrayed. If the guarantees are dishonoured, the streets of India will once again become the voice of its young," the statement said.The CJP began a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on June 6, demanding the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The protest gained momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk undertook a 26-day hunger strike to press for Pradhan's resignation.On July 20, clashes erupted between protesters and security personnel, who used lathis and teargas shells to disperse crowds attempting to move towards Parliament. The protests escalated and spread to several other states, including Bihar.The agitation ended on Saturday (July 25) with Pradhan's resignation and the government agreeing to the demand for compensation for the families of those who had ended their lives and no FIRs against the protesters.- EndsPublished By: Sonali VermaPublished On: Jul 28, 2026 19:44 IST