The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday called for a protest march in Delhi on September 5, accusing the Centre of failing to honour commitments that had led the outfit to end its 36-day agitation over alleged examination irregularities.
The march, planned for Teachers' Day, will begin at India Gate and proceed towards the Delhi Police Headquarters. In a statement, the CJP said families of students who died by suicide following the cancellation of the NEET examination and the subsequent re-test would lead the march, along with people allegedly subjected to police excesses during the July agitation.
A Month On, Discontent Returns
The CJP National Working Committee decided to hold the march at a meeting on Monday, a month after the outfit withdrew 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 said.
The outfit, which began as a satirical online platform before developing into a youth movement, launched its agitation at Jantar Mantar on June 20 over alleged irregularities in the examination system and the NEET paper leak. The protests subsequently spread to other parts of the country.
On July 20, a CJP-led march to Parliament descended into chaos and violence after police cracked down on protesters, leaving scores injured.
What Ended The 36-Day Protest
The agitation ended on July 25 after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister and the government, following talks with CJP representatives, agreed to the outfit's other demands.
These included compensation for the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide and withdrawal of FIRs against protesters. Both sides also agreed to hold further discussions on broader examination reforms.
CJP representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka announced the withdrawal of the protest at a joint press conference with Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh. They said the agitation was being called off in "good faith", with the understanding that the agreed terms would be implemented within the stipulated timeline.
The renewed protest call suggests that the understanding reached on July 25 has failed to settle the dispute. For the CJP, the central issue now appears to be not merely its original demands but whether the government has acted on the commitments that persuaded protesters to leave the streets.
FIR Row Reaches Supreme Court
Since ending the agitation, the CJP has repeatedly accused the Centre of dragging its feet, particularly over the withdrawal of FIRs and protection of protesters from punitive action.
The dispute reached the Supreme Court, where the CJP on Aug 18 accused the Centre of resisting efforts to facilitate the quashing of FIRs against students and protesters. The outfit warned then that a failure to demonstrate concrete progress on the July 25 commitments could trigger 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.
"A government cannot take the trust of an entire generation, use it to send young people home, and then quietly retreat from its own word. We will not accept this betrayal," the outfit said.
Families To Lead September 5 March
The CJP has appealed to students, youth organisations and young people from across the country to participate in the September 5 march while stressing that the demonstration would remain peaceful.
By placing bereaved families and people alleging police brutality at the front of the march, the outfit is seeking to put the human impact of the examination controversy at the centre of its renewed mobilisation.
"The families who lost their children will walk at the front. Victims of police brutality will walk beside them. Behind them will walk a generation demanding only one thing from its government: Keep your word," the CJP said.
The September 5 demonstration will therefore be an important test of whether the July agreement can still hold or whether the dispute over its implementation will lead to another phase of protests.
