CJP warns of fresh agitation if FIRs against protestors not dropped today

NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday warned of another agitation if the government did not act on its written promise to withdraw criminal cases against protestors 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 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third round of talks, we had agreed that all FIRs filed against protesters and organisers across the country would be withdrawn and no new FIR would be filed against any organiser and protester in future,” Ranka said.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 JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, and it was agreed that the government would share a written agreement by Tuesday after legal consultations.

“We hope a senior minister will honour the agreement and FIRs will be withdrawn, no protester would be harassed,” he said.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”.

'We had doubts that once the momentum went down, the govt might target people at an individual level. The same playbook has been used in other protests'– Ashutosh Ranka,CJP nat’l spokesperson

CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said the CJP had ended its protest “in good faith” after the government agreed to act on its principal demands within a specified timeline.

Ranka said the organisation had consulted senior advocate Kapil Sibal before and after calling off the agitation to ensure that the movement was not derailed by “politically motivated litigation. When we called off the protest, we had doubts that the government might target people at an individual level. The same playbook has been used in other protests, where people have been targeted,” he said.