The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Saturday announced that it will withdraw its agitation at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar after holding the third round of talks with the Centre, bringing an end to the 49-day protest over NEET-UG paper leak and irregularities in the education system.
A two-member CJP delegation met with Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh on Saturday, hours after the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Following the talks, the CJP announced that it was withdrawing the protest with immediate effect and appealed to all protests to go back home peacefully.
Addressing a press conference alongside Nadda, CJP’s spokesperson Saurav Das said the Centre had agreed to consider the demands of the movement, which included the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, withdrawal of all FIRs against student protesters and a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of students who died by suicide.
“We had demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of NEET victims. The government has agreed to this, stating that an honorary compensation will be given to those families under whatever rules and regulations allow. Apart from this, we also placed a five-point demand charter before the government, which talked about broader educational reforms and exam reforms," he added.
Das said the CJP will meet the government again within four weeks over the charter to work together on broader reforms. The delegation shook hands with the ministers, signalling an end to the ongoing impasse.
Meanwhile, CJP’s Ashutosh Ranka said, “All our demands have been accepted, so we request the protesters to withdraw immediately and return home peacefully. We will inform you of our future strategy or any other issues. But we request the protesters to withdraw immediately."
The CJP also said the government had assured that it would share copies of all FIRs against protesters, which would be withdrawn shortly.
Speaking at the press conference, Union Minister JP Nadda assured that no action should be taken against the protesters at Jantar Mantar. “If any FIRs have already been registered, whether by the Delhi Police or in BJP-ruled states, the government will provide copies of those FIRs to them," he said.
On the issue of compensation, Nadda said an honourable financial assistance will be provided to the affected families shortly after discussions. He also said the government would give serious consideration to the five-point charter submitted by the CJP and hold detailed deliberations with the movement.
“My request to all of you is that those who have been leading the movement should withdraw their agitation so that we can all move forward peacefully," he said.
The third round of talks came after protests at Jantar Mantar escalated on July 20, when protesters clashed with the police, leaving many injured. The protesters had been demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan over the recent NEET paper leak.
