'Shame, wholly unacceptable': CJP reiterates protest threat, says Centre using SC order on FIRs

New Delhi: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday threatened to resume its nationwide agitation, accusing the Centre of backtracking on its July 25 assurance to withdraw FIRs against protesters. The outfit alleged that the government was citing the Supreme Court's interim order in a batch of PILs related to the protests to avoid providing a promised written commitment.

CJP leaders said the organisation would launch a fresh nationwide protest unless the government honoured its assurances, including withdrawing all FIRs, protecting protesters from future action and ensuring accountability for the police response to the July 20 demonstration.

Centre accused of citing court order

Speaking to PTI Videos, CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said government representatives told the outfit during talks on Tuesday that the issue had become "sub judice" after the Supreme Court's interim order.

According to Das, the Centre had yet to provide the written assurance it had promised.

"They are now using that order and wanting to go back on the guarantees that they gave to the youth of this country. If the government does not honour its word and the agreements, we will be forced to again call for a big protest, not just in Delhi but nationwide," he said.

Das said the agitation would continue until "full accountability" was ensured, adding that young people across the country would continue their protests if the assurances were not implemented.

He also welcomed discussions on strengthening laws against examination malpractices but said Parliament must also debate the alleged police action during the July 20 protest.

"I hope Parliament also discusses the police brutality that took place on July 20, how heads were broken, how people were blinded through pellet guns. Accountability needs to be fixed not just of the police but also of the home minister who was overseeing all of this in Delhi," he said.

Describing the proposal for fast-track courts in examination-related offences as "a band-aid measure", Das argued that broader structural reforms were needed.

CJP seeks written commitment

Speaking to PTI in Jaipur, CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Rana said it was "a matter of shame" that the government had not acted on the assurances given earlier.

He said the Centre had clearly assured the outfit on July 25 that all FIRs would be withdrawn and no fresh cases would be registered against protesters.

"If the word of a Union minister has no value, then we do not know whose word has value," Rana said.

He demanded a written agreement confirming the withdrawal of all FIRs and guaranteeing that no new cases would be filed.

"We demand that the government honour the July 25 agreement, give us a written agreement, withdraw all FIRs and ensure that no further FIRs are filed. If this does not happen, we will be compelled to launch an agitation again," he said.

Responding to BJP MP and actor Kangana Ranaut's alleged "gutter generation" remark, Rana said, "Yes, we are the gutter generation. Coming out of the gutter, the cockroach movement got a minister to resign."

Supreme Court order at centre of dispute

In a statement issued later, Das said Direction No. 4 of the Supreme Court's interim order allowed governments to continue with existing FIRs and investigations, which he claimed contradicted the assurances given by the Centre during negotiations that ended the 36-day agitation.

He said the protest had been withdrawn "in complete good faith" after the government's July 25 assurances that FIRs would be withdrawn and no protester would face direct or indirect retaliation.

Das alleged there was now a "credible apprehension" that the Centre and BJP-ruled states could rely on the court's order to continue legal proceedings against protesters.

He also questioned why government lawyers had not opposed the interim order despite being aware that discussions with the CJP had continued until late Monday and that an agreement had already been reached on July 25.

"The court's uninformed order is therefore wholly unacceptable," he said.

Das maintained that the Supreme Court had not directed governments to continue the FIRs and argued that the executive still had the authority to withdraw cases or decide not to pursue them. He urged the Centre not to use the court's order as grounds for departing from its commitments.

He further demanded that the Centre and the concerned BJP/NDA-ruled state governments place the July 25 assurances before the Supreme Court in the pending proceedings to ensure complete transparency.

Reiterating the outfit's demands, Das called for withdrawal of all FIRs, protection against future punitive action and implementation of the assurances "in both letter and spirit".

"Failing this, the Cockroach Janta Party will have no option but to resume its nationwide protest to protect the students and young protesters," he said.

Protest withdrawal under review

Separately, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who is undergoing treatment for typhoid, alleged in a post on X that students continued to face police harassment. He warned that the organisation would launch a "massive peaceful protest" if such action continued.

"The government must stop targeting and witch-hunting students," Dipke said.

The CJP had called off its 36-day protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday after announcing that the government had accepted its key demands, including the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, withdrawal of FIRs, protection against retaliatory action and consideration of wider examination reforms.

On Monday, the outfit again sought the immediate release of arrested protesters, withdrawal of all criminal cases and a written assurance that no fresh FIRs would be registered, warning that it would resume its agitation if the commitments were not honoured.