The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which spearheaded the Jantar Mantar protests that forced former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign, on Monday called for fresh protests in Delhi on September 5. The protest was called alleging that the Centre had failed to honour the promises made on July 25 that led to the end of the agitation.
The march, to be held on Teachers’ Day, will begin at India Gate and proceed towards the Delhi Police Headquarters, the CJP said in a statement.
It said the march would be led by families of students who died by suicide following the cancellation of the NEET exam and the subsequent re-test, as well as those who were allegedly subjected to police excesses during the July agitation.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the CJP National Working Committee on Monday, a month after the outfit called off its agitation following negotiations with the Centre.
“Our patience cannot be mistaken for weakness. Our good faith cannot become an opportunity for the government to betray the young people of this country,” the CJP, which began as a satirical online platform before turning into a youth movement, said.
The CJP’s agitation began at Jantar Mantar on June 20 over alleged irregularities in the examination system and the NEET paper leak, and subsequently spread to other parts of the country. On July 20, a march to Parliament led by the outfit descended into chaos and violence as police cracked down on protesters, leaving scores injured.
The CJP’s agitation ended on July 25 after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as the Union Education Minister and the government, following talks with CJP representatives, agreed to its other demands, including compensation for the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide and the withdrawal of FIRs against protesters.
The two sides had also agreed to hold further discussions on broader examination reforms.
The outfit has since repeatedly accused the Centre of dragging its feet, particularly over its promise to withdraw FIRs and protect protesters from punitive action.
The issue had reached the Supreme Court, where the CJP on August 18 accused the Centre of resisting efforts to facilitate the quashing of FIRs against students and protesters. It had then warned that failure to show concrete progress on the July 25 commitments could lead to renewed nationwide action.
In its statement on Monday, the CJP alleged that the government had “delayed action, hidden behind technicalities and avoided giving clear commitments”. It also said a written assurance promised by the Centre was still pending.
The outfit appealed to students, youth organisations and young people from across the country to join the September 5 march, while stressing that the protest would be peaceful.
(With PTI inputs)
