The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday accused the Centre of violating its assurance that no punitive action would be taken against protesters, alleging that hundreds of students had been arrested or were facing police action in several states despite the agreement reached before the outfit suspended its nationwide agitation.
CJP also said it was awaiting the government's promised written agreement on the withdrawal of criminal cases against protesters and organisers, and warned that it would be forced to resume its agitation if the assurance was not received 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 before the 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third round of talks, we had agreed that all FIRs filed against protesters and organisers across the country would be withdrawn and no new FIR would be filed against any organiser and protester in future," Ranka said.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We hope a senior Cabinet minister will honour the agreement and FIRs will be withdrawn, no protester or organiser would be harassed, and no cases would be filed in future," he said.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 and organisers arrested in connection with the agitation were not released, the outfit would be "forced to protest again".
In a statement posted on X, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said the organisation was witnessing a "complete breach" of the understanding reached with the government regarding police action against protesters.
"We are observing a complete breach of the agreement regarding no police action against the protestors. Hundreds of students have been arrested in Bihar and Bengal, and hundreds are being surveilled/harrassed in Delhi and other states. Multiple reports are emerging in Delhi around detention of volunteers supporting protestors with logistics," the statement said.
In the statement issued Monday, the CJP said it had received "multiple reports" of students and other protesters being "targeted, detained, or arrested by various state agencies", particularly in Assam, West Bengal and Bihar.
"The Cockroach Janta Party had called off its nationwide protest only after the Government of India assured us that no punitive action would be taken against any protester, either now or in the future, in any BJP-ruled or NDA-ruled states. The reports emerging from these states are therefore a matter of grave concern," it said.
The outfit said its legal team is coordinating with lawyers in concerned states to secure the release of those detained and provide legal assistance.
It also urged the Centre, particularly Nadda and Singh, to honour the assurance given during the negotiations by ensuring the release of those detained and preventing any "coercive or retaliatory action" against protesters anywhere in the country.
"The FIRs registered ought to be withdrawn too," the statement said.
"Our decision to suspend the nationwide protest was taken in good faith and solely on the basis of the government's assurance that it would stand by its word. Any departure from that assurance would not merely amount to a breach of trust with the Cockroach Janta Party but would also be a breach of public trust with lakhs of young Indians who chose dialogue over protests," it said.
Warning that any breach of the assurance would be "completely unacceptable to the youth", the CJP demanded that all detainees be released and all FIRs withdrawn immediately, failing which it would "take further necessary steps".
Das also said the CJP had been providing legal and medical assistance to protesters across the country since the beginning of the movement.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who also addressed the press conference, said no action should be taken against students who participated in what he described as an organic protest.
"We don't want action to be taken against students who did a protest. It was an organic movement. Governments want no dissent," Sibal said.
(With inputs from PTI)
