New Delhi | The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday demanded the immediate release of protesters arrested in connection with its recent agitation over the NEET paper leak, and withdrawal of all FIRs already registered, with an assurance that no fresh cases would be filed.
The CJP warned that it would resume its protest if the government failed to provide a written agreement by Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference, CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said the issue was discussed during the third round of talks with the government on July 25, before their 36-day protest at Jantar Mantar was called off.
"In the third round of talks, we had agreed that all FIRs filed against protesters and organisers across the country would be withdrawn and no new FIR would be filed against any organiser and protester in future," Ranka said.
He said the CJP had submitted a draft agreement to Union ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh, and it was agreed that the government would share a written agreement by Tuesday after legal consultations.
"We are waiting for the government to share the written agreement. We hope a senior Cabinet minister will honour the agreement and the FIRs will be withdrawn, no protester or organiser would be harassed, and no cases would be filed in future," he said.
Ranka said if the written agreement was not received by Tuesday and protesters arrested in connection with the agitation were not released, the outfit would be "forced to protest again."
In a post on X, Ranka alleged that the government had breached the understanding on police action, claiming that "hundreds of students" had been arrested in Bihar and West Bengal while volunteers and supporters were being detained or harassed in Delhi and other states.
Tagging Nadda and Singh, he demanded the immediate withdrawal of all FIRs, release of arrested students and an assurance that no future cases would be filed by Delhi Police, central agencies or police in BJP-ruled or BJP-allied states, failing which the CJP would resume its protest.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who also addressed the press conference, said no legal action should be taken against students who participated in "an organic protest" and announced a Rs 1 crore contribution to support legal assistance for those facing cases.
"We don't want action to be taken against students who protested. It was an organic movement," Sibal said.
He said the proposed legal network would bring together lawyers across the country willing to represent students and protesters on a pro bono basis.
"CJP will create a system and a website where lawyers from different districts can register to help. I will contribute Rs 1 crore from my side and request lawyers across the country to contribute to this fund," he said.
Alleging that protesters were being selectively targeted after the agitation ended, Sibal claimed that police were using facial recognition technology to identify participants and warned against attempts to communalise the issue.
"My role is to support this legally from outside," he said.
CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said the organisation had called off the protest "in good faith" after the government accepted its principal demands and agreed to implement the remaining ones within an agreed timeline.
He said the organisation had remained in touch with Sibal before and after ending the agitation to ensure the youth movement was not derailed through litigation or targeted action.
"We thought the government might target people at an individual level once the protest ended. CJP has been providing legal and medical help to students from day one and sought guidance from Mr Sibal," Das said.
He also announced that the CJP would launch a nationwide portal to connect students with lawyers willing to provide legal assistance and said another portal, "Sakshi", had been launched to collect videos, photographs and testimonies relating to alleged police excesses during the protests.
"Police officers and Rapid Action Force personnel who came with the intention of beating protesters will be held accountable. If people have videos or photographs, they should upload them on the portal, and our legal team will take the matter forward," Das said.
CJP spokesperson Ratna Singh, who was introduced as the CJP's legal point of contact, said that lawyers were already assisting detained protesters in Assam, West Bengal and Bihar.
Alleging that 11 people were arrested in Kolkata, of whom 10 were Muslims, she said that stringent provisions, including the Goonda Act, were likely to be invoked.
Singh further alleged police brutality on protesters at Patna, Siwan and Chhapra in Bihar, claiming that attempt to murder charges have been invoked, and around 5,000 unnamed persons have been booked.
The CJP called off its 36-day agitation at Jantar Mantar on Saturday after the government accepted its key demands, including the resignation of then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, withdrawal of all FIRs, an assurance against retaliatory action and a commitment to consider broader examination reforms. The government had also agreed to share a written draft of the understanding by Tuesday after legal consultations.
New Delhi | Scrutiny of 2,873 people present at and around the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at the Jantar Mantar here has revealed that over 980 of them have previous criminal records, including cases of murder, attempt to murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, crimes against women, illegal firearms and narcotics, according to official sources.
Police analysis showed that at least 101 people have been previously involved in murder cases, 62 in attempt-to-murder cases, 284 in robbery and dacoity cases, 229 under the Arms Act, 135 in snatching cases, 19 in kidnapping cases, and 67 in cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, a senior police official privy to the probe told PTI.
They further said 61 of these individuals have been involved in rape cases, 25 in cases related to outraging modesty of women or molestation, while six have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The verification exercise comes in the backdrop of clashes that broke out during the CJP's "Chalo Sansad" protest on July 20. According to police, more than 65 protesters were injured, while over 200 police personnel sustained injuries. Protestors alleged that security forces used pellet guns against peaceful demonstrators.
According to the source, the verification exercise was undertaken after large crowds gathered at and around the CJP protest venue and the subsequent violence during the July 20 agitation in New Delhi district.
They said the exercise was aimed at identifying people with previous criminal involvement and assessing the nature of individuals participating in or moving around the protest site.
The findings form part of a larger scrutiny exercise carried out through police databases and dossier verification systems, the source said.
According to police, criminal antecedents of 2,873 individuals were examined. Of them, 989 were found to have previous involvement in serious criminal cases, indicating that more than one-third of those screened had police records.
Police maintained that the exercise relied on existing criminal databases and dossier records kept by different district police units and other law enforcement agencies.
"The analysis showed that among the 101 people linked to murder cases, 42 have been involved in two or more criminal cases, while 12 have criminal histories involving 10 or more cases, suggesting repeated involvement in serious offences," the source said.
Similarly, of the 62 people linked to attempt-to-murder cases, 25 have two or more criminal cases against them, they said.
Police records showed that 284 individuals have previously figured in robbery and dacoity cases. Of them, 155 have been involved in two or more criminal cases, while 31 have criminal histories involving 10 or more cases, indicating that several are repeat offenders.
The scrutiny also found 61 people involved in rape cases. Police records showed that eight of them have been involved in two or more criminal cases.
Six individuals have been booked under the POCSO Act, while 25 people have been involved in cases related to outraging modesty of women or molestation. Of those facing crimes against women cases, six have two or more criminal cases registered against them, according to the source.
The verification further showed widespread involvement in offences relating to illegal weapons.
Police data indicates that 229 people have previous criminal records under the Arms Act, making it one of the largest categories identified during the scrutiny exercise. Police also found 135 individuals with previous involvement in snatching cases, 19 linked to kidnapping cases, and 67 with NDPS Act cases present at and around Jantar Mantar during the CJP protest.
Among those linked to narcotics offences, nine have been involved in two or more criminal cases, police records showed.
Police also shared examples of dossier verification carried out during the exercise. According to the source, dossiers containing criminal histories of identified persons were matched with police records maintained by various district units.
One such dossier accessed during the verification process showed an accused linked to multiple FIRs registered in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. The dossier listed cases under various sections, besides Arms Act provisions, registered at Tilak Nagar, Vivek Vihar and Sahibabad police stations.
According to the district-wise data, the West district accounted for the highest number cases with 26 dossiers, followed by Northeast with 23, South with 22, Central with 21, Southwest with 18, Southeast with 17, East with 15, New Delhi with 14, Shahdara with 12, Outernorth with 11, North and Rohini with nine each, Northwest with eight, Outer with six, and Dwarka with five.
In all, 216 dossiers were processed by different district police units as part of the verification exercise.
"The scrutiny was intended to identify the criminal background of people present at and around the protest site and to assist investigators examining the violence that erupted during the agitation," the source said.
Police sources said the findings would form part of the overall investigation into the violence witnessed during the protest and would be used to identify individuals requiring further verification.
