The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday (July 27, 2026) warned of fresh protests, accusing the Centre of violating its assurance that no punitive action would be taken against protesters.
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“We are observing a complete breach of the agreement regarding no police action against the protesters. Hundreds of students have been arrested in Bihar and Bengal, and hundreds are being surveilled/harassed in Delhi and other states,” CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said in a post on X.
While the Bihar government announced later in the evening about withdrawing all FIRs against protesters registered before 6 p.m. on July 26, there was no word from the West Bengal government at the time of going to press despite a CJP appeal on social media to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
On Saturday (July 25, 2026), the CJP called off their 36-day protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi after the government agreed to their three main demands, including the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Education Minister.
“We demand that all the FIRs against the protesters be immediately withdrawn, students be released and no future FIRs be filed [in line with our agreement] by Delhi police/Central investigative agencies/police in BJP-allied States, failing which we will be forced to sit on protest again,” Mr. Ranka said.
The CJP statement came following reports of continued crackdown on protesters and volunteers assisting protesters with logistics in various States.
In NDA-ruled Bihar, the police issued a statement saying a total of 694 individuals were taken into custody across the State following a protest on July 25. Among those detained, 339 minors and students were released following verification, and 355 individuals involved in violent incidents have been produced before the court.
However, in a statement issued by the Home Department later in the evening, the State government said it has taken a decision that all FIRs against protesters registered before 6 p.m. on July 26 would be withdrawn and “no coercive action will be taken against them in future as well”.
In BJP-ruled West Bengal, Kolkata Police on Monday arrested two more persons – Waqar Azam, 35, and Muhammed Javed Akhtar, 32 – in connection with the violence that erupted at Esplanade area following a police crackdown on protesters demanding the resignation of Mr. Pradhan. With this, the total number of arrests after the violence rose to 16. Earlier, police arrested 14 people in response to seven FIRs, five of which were lodged by seven injured mediapersons.
The CJP, in a social media post, appealed to Mr. Adhikari to release all the protesters and withdraw the FIRs as was promised by Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh as part of the key demands made by the party.
Mr. Adhikari said 70 more people have been identified for their involvement in the violence against whom necessary actions will be taken under the recently enforced West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Act, 2026. This new law has provisions for preventive detention of up to 12 months while the accused cannot even approach for legal help. This will be the first instance of the law being put into practice in West Bengal.
In Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav alleged that many students in Prayagraj have been abducted by a special team of Uttar Pradesh Police in a vehicle without number plates. “Under the guise of the Prayagraj protest, many students have been picked up by the U.P. Police’s special team in an unmarked vehicle. When the Central government had promised that no action would be taken against any student, then on whose orders is such deceit taking place,” he wrote in a post on X, also posting a video news report in support of his claims. The Prayagraj police have registered two FIRs at the Civil Lines police station in connection with the alleged vandalism of two SUVs and attack during Saturday’s student protest.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Mr. Ranka reiterated the Centre’s assurances during the third round of talks on July 25. “We had submitted a written draft of this agreement to J.P. Naddaji and Jitendra Singhji, and it was agreed that the government would share its written copy of the agreement with us by Tuesday. If the government does not share the written agreement by tomorrow, and if students, youth, and protesters who have been arrested or detained in different States are not released, the Cockroach Janta Party will once again be forced to protest,” he said, adding that multiple reports have emerged in Delhi about the detention of volunteers who supported the protesters with logistics.
Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was also present at the present conference, said if governments file FIRs against people who peacefully protested in different parts of the country, the CJP will create a framework to track the affected people. “They (CJP) will create a website where lawyers who are willing to provide help can register their names, location and the kind of help they can offer. I will personally contribute ₹1 crore… our lawyers will support them across India,” he said.
The Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India accused the Central government of going back on its promise to the students that all the cases against them will be dropped. It announced a dedicated helpline (9811867474) for all those students who were being “harassed” by the police in Delhi and other BJP-ruled States for participating in the protests.
Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda said in a post on X, “Multiple platforms are reporting that Jantar Mantar protesters and also protesters elsewhere are being targeted by authorities. This is unfortunate & contradicts the promise made by the government. If anyone needs legal aid/ support, contact my team by tagging @TeamDeepender.”
(With inputs from Nikhil M. Babu in Delhi, Senjuti Sengupta in Kolkata, Mayank Kumar in Lucknow, Amit Bhelari and Amarnath Tewary in Patna)
Published – July 27, 2026 10:55 pm IST
