New Delhi, India (PTI): The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday warned that it would resume its agitation if the government did not provide written assurances, guaranteeing no fresh FIRs and withdrawal of criminal cases against protesters and organisers, 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 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third round of talks, we had agreed that all FIRs filed against protesters and organisers across the country would be withdrawn and no new FIR would be filed against any organiser and protester in future," Ranka said.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 We hope a senior Cabinet minister will honour the agreement and FIRs will be withdrawn, no protester or organiser would be harassed, and no cases would be filed in future," he said.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."
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who also addressed the press conference, said no legal action should be taken against students who participated in what he described as 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 RAF 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.
Ratna Singh, who was introduced as the CJP's legal point of contact, alleged that lawyers were already assisting detained protesters in Assam, West Bengal and Bihar.
She claimed that 11 people had been arrested in Kolkata, of whom 10 were Muslims, and alleged that stringent provisions, including the Goonda Act, were likely to be invoked. She further alleged police brutality in Bihar's Patna, Siwan and Chhapra, claiming that attempt to murder charges had been invoked against protesters and around 5,000 unnamed persons had 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 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.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.