Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 27: In the face of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) threatening to resume their protest dharna at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi from Tuesday alleging “complete breach of agreement” by the government, the Centre is learnt to have sought a report from the police on cases that have been filed against the agitators in Delhi and other BJP-ruled states during the recent nation-wide students agitation over paper leak and demanding the resignation of the then union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The agitation was called off “in good faith” on Saturday after Mr Pradhan submitted his resignation as the government had earlier also accepted the CJP’s two other main demands, withdrawal of all FIRs filed against student agitators and measures to curb the menace of paper leak and stringent punishment to those involved in such incidents and suitable compensation to the family members of those students who committed suicide after the cancellation of the first NEET examinations following the paper leak.
Taking cognisance of the CJP’s threat, the Centre has sought reports from the states over police action against the students and is reported to have decided that the agitators who protested peacefully would not be facing a crackdown. However, action is likely to be taken against those who were involved in violence and tried to create an unrest, official sources said on Monday.
Several FIRs were filed against protesters across India after the July 20 ‘Chalo Sansad’ march at Jantar Mantar. The CJP had demanded a withdrawal of the FIRs and no legal action in the future. Demonstrations in the national capital turned violent on July 20 when a crowd attempted to march towards Parliament from the Jantar Mantar protest site. Police fired tear gas and used batons to disperse the protest, triggering clashes and a wave of detentions.
Citing sources, media reports said the Delhi police have not received a formal order regarding withdrawal of cases as of now. The report stated the police have registered around 15 FIRs across the New Delhi district. However, the report stated that even after the police receive the formal order, the ongoing investigation into the alleged larger conspiracy behind the clashes would continue. The report also said CCTV footage, digital evidence, and mobile phone records are being examined by the police to identify those involved in the violence.
The CJP on Monday warned of another protest, as early as Tuesday, over what it called a “breach of agreement” regarding no police action against protesters detained in weeks of rallies nationwide. “We are observing a complete breach of the agreement regarding no police action against the protesters.
“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,” Ashutosh Ranka, CJP spokesperson, posted on X, making the request to JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, government interlocutors who led the talks with the CJP.
“We demand that all the FIRs against the protesters 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,” he said further. The CJP spokesperson also demanded that a written agreement, as was agreed upon during the talks, around legal cases be “shared with us by tomorrow.”
CJP’s chief spokesperson, Saurav Das also put out a statement in a post on X stating, that since Day 1 they have been extending all possible legal assistance to protestors and that Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare of India, J P Nadda and the Union Minister of Science and Technology to “immediately honour” the agreement of releasing the detained protestors across the country. He highlighted that the calling off the protest was in the good faith of the government standing by their word. He assures the young protestors that CJP would continue to monitor the situation.
After the reports of the arrests in Bihar, Neha Bora, National President of the All India Students’ Association reached Patna on July 27 where she said, “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.” In a Patna press conference she said, “Jab tak har arrested student protestor riha nahi hota, movement rukne wala nahi. (Till every arrested student protestor is not free, the movement will not stop.” The right to dissent is a constitutional right, not a crime. No government can take that away.”
Following the third round of talks with Ministers at the Constitution Club on Saturday, the CJP said the Central government has agreed to provide suitable compensation to the families of the NEET aspirants who died by suicide and assured to withdraw the FIRs lodged against protesters anywhere in India. The CJP presented a five-point demand charter before the government and said the next round of talks would happen after four weeks.
Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court said police excesses or a ‘lathi charge’ cannot be justified merely because there was an agitation, observing that the right to peaceful protest was “absolutely guaranteed.”
The Supreme Court called for “a self-evolved discipline which is integral to the democratic process” and stressed the need for balance while stating that there cannot be police excesses or violence merely because there was an agitation. The three-judge bench, presided over by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, was hearing a clutch of petitions, including one by Rajya Sabha member Manoj Jha, alleging police excesses against NEET demonstrators in Delhi and elsewhere. “Right to protest, peaceful protest, lawful protest, is absolutely guaranteed under the constitutional scheme. So long as there is a peaceful agitation, merely because there is an agitation, there can’t be excesses,” CJI Surya Kant said.
The issue reverberated in Parliament on Monday, with repeated disruptions as opposition lawmakers demanded a response from the government over last week’s police crackdown.
