Cockroach Janta Party Threatens Protests Over Student Arrests

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has threatened to resume nationwide agitations after alleging the Government of India breached a July 25 agreement to withdraw First Information Reports (FIRs) against students protesting the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. The CJP had previously ended a 37-day protest at Jantar Mantar, which included a 26-day hunger strike by Sonam Wangchuk, after the government secured the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

CJP leaders, including founder Abhijeet Dipke and spokespeople Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, claim that despite verbal guarantees from Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh, the government missed a July 28 deadline to provide written assurances. The party reports continued arrests and harassment in Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, and Uttar Pradesh. In Bihar, approximately 27 FIRs were filed against 2,000 unidentified students, leading to over 90 arrests. To support affected youth, senior advocate Kapil Sibal pledged ₹1 crore to a CJP-launched legal aid fund.

On July 29, the Supreme Court of India ordered the release of protesters under 18 and those without criminal records, though it permitted existing investigations to continue. The CJP accuses the government of using this interim order as a pretext to avoid providing written guarantees, which Saurav Das termed a "massive betrayal of the country's youth."

Founder Abhijeet Dipke further condemned the use of pellet guns and baton charges during protests, while his parents alleged they received threats from BJP associates during the agitation. Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party expressed support for the CJP's proposed protests.