Another warning from CJP of fresh protests as deadline expires | Delhi News
NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday again warned it will launch another nationwide agitation if the government fails to provide written assurances on withdrawing First Information Reports (FIRs) against students who took part in protests over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.The warning came hours after the Supreme Court directed states to release eligible student protesters while allowing investigations in existing FIRs to continue.CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said the Centre had promised to withdraw all FIRs filed against students and protesters in Delhi as well as BJP-ruled and NDA-governed states, but had yet to put the assurance in writing despite Tuesday’s deadline.“The government gave us a guarantee that all FIRs filed against students and protesters so far would be withdrawn and that no action would be taken against any protester in the future, not just in Delhi, but also in any BJP-ruled state or any state governed by the NDA.”“This guarantee was given to us on Saturday in front of the entire nation. A deadline of Tuesday was set for this, and while only a few hours remain before it expires, we have not yet received that assurance from the government in writing,” he said.Das said he met government representatives on Wednesday after being invited for talks, where they cited the Supreme Court’s interim order permitting investigations into existing FIRs to continue.“I even went to meet government representatives this evening, following an invitation from them. They showed me a Supreme Court order; specifically, Direction No. 4 states that investigations into existing FIRs may proceed. The government argued that because this is a written order from the Supreme Court, the matter has become sub judice. I asked them directly whether or not they would provide the guarantee in writing. We have received no response from them so far,” he said.Accusing the government of going back on its promise, Das said the party would not accept any decision that contradicted the assurances given to students.“I want to tell the government: you are about to commit a massive betrayal of the country’s youth. We have made it clear that we will not accept any order or decision that violates the guarantee given by the government. You must honour the promises made to the students. We want you to keep your word regarding any future decisions taken in the interest of students. If you fail to do so, we want to make it clear that we will announce another massive protest, one that will take place in Delhi as well as in other states. We will launch a nationwide protest once again, as we remain committed to working in the best interests of students,” he said.The CJP had led a 37-day protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak, during which activist Sonam Wangchuk observed a 26-day hunger strike. The agitation ended after the government accepted several demands, including the resignation of then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, compensation for aspirants who died by suicide and the withdrawal of FIRs against protesters.Earlier on Wednesday, the Supreme Court directed all states to release students below the age of 18 who were arrested or detained during the nationwide protests, provided they have no criminal antecedents.The court also ordered that no coercive action be taken against students for the time being, directed authorities to preserve electronic evidence related to the protests, and observed that the allegations before it, prima facie, warranted an independent and impartial investigation.It further ordered the release of other arrested protesters without criminal antecedents, while permitting investigations in the cases to continue in accordance with law.The directions were issued by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana while hearing petitions alleging excessive police force during protests that began at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and later spread to Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, West Bengal and Kerala.
