Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI on Friday strongly condemned the alleged attack on its national leader Annie Raja during a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

In a statement, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam described the incident as shocking and accused RSS-linked individuals of targeting Annie Raja and other activists who had joined the protest in solidarity with students and youth.

The protest was organised to raise concerns over alleged irregularities in national examinations, including NEET-UG, CUET, CBSE and recruitment-related tests.

Annie Raja's account of the incident

According to Annie Raja, the confrontation began after protesters raised slogans in support of social reformer Jyotirao Phule, architect of the Constitution B. R. Ambedkar and the Constitution itself.

She alleged that a group of youths objected to the slogans and questioned why slogans critical of the RSS were being raised. Raja claimed that although police initially intervened and removed the group, they later returned with additional supporters, leading to chaos at the protest venue.

She further alleged that the situation escalated into a stampede-like atmosphere and that activists, including women leaders, were physically assaulted.

Nisha Sidhu among those targeted

CPI leaders said that Nisha Sidhu, general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), was also among those allegedly attacked during the incident.

The party accused the Centre of attempting to suppress public protests instead of addressing concerns raised by students regarding examination controversies and recruitment-related grievances.

According to reports from the protest site, Delhi Police intervened during the disturbance and detained four individuals allegedly involved in the confrontation.

Authorities have reportedly begun investigating the incident, although official details regarding charges or the identities of those detained have not yet been released.

Why the protest was organised

The protest was organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led movement founded by Abhijeet Dipke.

The group has been campaigning for greater accountability in India's education system and has alleged irregularities in major examinations and recruitment processes. Protesters also demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the controversies.

Hundreds of students and young professionals gathered at Jantar Mantar to support the demonstration, which also received backing from activist Sonam Wangchuk and several civil society groups.

CPI calls for statewide protests

Following the incident, Binoy Viswam urged CPI branch units across Kerala to organise protest demonstrations condemning the alleged attack on Annie Raja, Nisha Sidhu and other activists.

The party said the incident represented an attack on democratic protest and freedom of expression, and vowed to continue raising the issue through political and organisational channels.