‘Supporters Educated & Peaceful’: After Days of Violence, CJP Distances Itself From ‘Anti-Social’ Elements at Students’ Protest

New Delhi: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Saturday officially called off its student-led protest following a joint press conference with the central government, shortly after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from the Council of Ministers. 

While announcing the withdrawal of the protest, CJP leaders also addressed questions surrounding the violence witnessed during the protests, distancing themselves from those involved in the clashes.

"Cockroach Janta Party declares that we withdraw the agitation in good faith, with the understanding that the agreed-upon terms will be executed within the agreed-upon timelines," Das said during the joint press conference.

The announcement came hours after Dharmendra Pradhan submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a key demand raised by the CJP during the protest.

Responding to questions over incidents of violence during the protest, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka maintained that the organisation's supporters had remained peaceful throughout the agitation and alleged that certain anti-social elements had attempted to disrupt the atmosphere over the past few days. 

"All supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party are educated and peaceful. It is true that over the last four to six days, some anti-social elements tried to disrupt the atmosphere. But despite all the challenges, the youth stood firm, and today the centre has finally accepted our demands," Ashutosh Ranka said. 

Leaders Condemn Attacks on Media

Addressing allegations regarding attacks on media personnel, Saurav Das said individuals involved in violence against journalists or members of the public were not supporters of the CJP and condemned such actions and reiterated that violence had no place in the movement.

He maintained that while criticism of the media could be debated, violence against journalists or anyone else was unacceptable.

"Those anti-social elements who instigated violence against the media and the public are not CJP supporters. We strongly condemn such actions. There is absolutely no place for violence in this movement," Das stated. 

‘Repeatedly Asked Protesters to Remain Peaceful’: CJP

Ashutosh Ranka also said he had personally made repeated announcements from the protest stage asking demonstrators not to indulge in violence or target media personnel.

According to Ranka, protesters were continuously urged to conduct the movement peacefully and remain within the framework of the Constitution.

"I personally made announcements from the stage at least five times asking everyone not to resort to violence and not to attack the media. We wanted this movement to remain peaceful and be carried out within the framework of the Constitution," he said.  

His remarks came amid scrutiny over clashes reported during the agitation, in which police personnel, journalists and public property were allegedly targeted.

Pradhan Resigns After Weeks of NEET Protest

The withdrawal of the protest follows the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who stepped down after weeks of nationwide demonstrations over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2026 examination.

In his resignation statement, Pradhan said his decision was taken in the interest of students and to prevent the ongoing situation from being exploited by forces working against national unity.

He reiterated that the centre had acted swiftly after irregularities surfaced by referring the matter to the CBI, conducting a re-examination for over 20 lakh candidates and announcing that future NEET examinations would be held in a computer-based test (CBT) format.

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