NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which had been leading protests in India, called off its 37-day demonstration on Saturday after the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and government assurances on its remaining demands.
Speaking at a press conference at Constitution Club in New Delhi, CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said the party was withdrawing the protest in good faith with the understanding that the agreed commitments would be implemented within the stipulated timeframe.
The announcement followed a third round of talks with Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh. According to the CJP, the government agreed to provide appropriate compensation to the families of NEET examination aspirants who died by suicide and assured that cases filed against protesters across India would be withdrawn.
The party said it had submitted a five-point charter of demands and would hold another round of talks with the government in about four weeks to discuss broader education and examination reforms.
CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said the group had sought compensation of ₹10 million for each affected family. He said the government had agreed to provide compensation in accordance with existing rules and regulations.
The party also said the government had accepted its demand to withdraw all first information reports (FIRs) filed against protesters in Delhi and BJP-ruled or BJP-allied states. According to Das, copies of the registered FIRs are expected to be shared with the organisation within the next few days, after which the withdrawal process will begin.
Earlier on Saturday, Pradhan submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he had stepped down in the larger interest of students to ensure that the country’s youth were not “misled.”
The protests, led by education activist Sonam Wangchuk along with students and youth groups at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, had been demanding Pradhan’s resignation. The movement reportedly began after remarks by Chief Justice Surya Kant sparked widespread discussion on social media. (ANI)
Comment