NEW DELHI, India — India’s youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of breaking an agreement to withdraw legal action against students who participated in nationwide protests over alleged examination irregularities.
The group’s spokesperson, Ashutosh Ranka, said police were still investigating cases against some protesters despite assurances that legal action would be withdrawn after the demonstrations were called off. The movement ended its nationwide protests on July 25 after the government accepted its key demands, including action on examination reforms and withdrawal of cases against protesters.
Speaking to Bloomberg Television on August 10, Ranka said there had been “clear instances” in which the agreement had been violated. He pointed to cases that remained active in several states as well as the detention of protesters.
“That is a clear sort of breaking away from the promise made by the government,” Ranka said, adding that the CJP would not tolerate arrests of protesters.
Ranka further warned that failure by the government to honour the agreement could damage public confidence in its commitments.
“If the senior Cabinet minister’s verbal agreement has no value in the country then essentially what we are saying is that the government can’t be trusted,” he said.
The CJP spokesperson said the movement was closely monitoring developments and hoped the government would fulfil its promises.
“We sincerely hope the government will follow the promise,” Ranka added.
The protests, which grew from anger over alleged examination paper leaks and wider concerns about India’s education system, became one of the largest youth-led challenges to the Modi government in recent years. Thousands of students and young people gathered in New Delhi, with protesters demanding accountability and the resignation of then-Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The protests eventually contributed to Pradhan’s resignation, prompting the CJP to declare victory and call on supporters to peacefully end the demonstrations.
The movement has also maintained that it does not intend to immediately transform itself into a conventional electoral party. Its leadership says it wants to operate as a pressure group, focusing on accountability, education reform, unemployment and broader concerns affecting India’s young population.
The dispute comes as student protests continue in Jharkhand over alleged examination irregularities, keeping education and examination reforms high on India’s political agenda.India’s Home Affairs Ministry had not immediately responded to the allegations in the statement provided. The Supreme Court has previously indicated that states may withdraw cases against student demonstrators, except in cases involving serious offences.
Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party gather during a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding accountability and reforms to India’s education system.
