The Bharatiya Janata Party governments in Assam and Bihar on Monday said that they will release protesters who were detained or arrested during the agitation against alleged irregularities in public exams last week.
The states said that they will also withdraw cases that had been filed against the demonstrators.
The agitation in Delhi started on June 6, when the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign began a protest at Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union education minister at the time, over the alleged irregularities in the conduct of competitive exams. Solidarity protests were held in several states. Pradhan resigned on Saturday.
On Monday, the Bihar government said that no legal action will be taken against persons who had participated in the protests before 6 pm on Sunday, The Hindu reported. The Assam government made a similar declaration.
‘Complete breach’ of agreement, claims CJP
The statements by the BJP-ruled states came hours after the Cockroach Janta Party on Monday remarked that there had been a “complete breach” of its agreement with the Union government with respect to its promise that no police action would be taken against peaceful protesters.
Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka had said that all cases filed against protesters must be withdrawn and all those who have been taken into custody must be released, “failing which we will be forced to sit on protest again”.
The campaign had said that it was concerned by reports that demonstrators had been “targeted, detained or arrested” by state agencies in BJP-ruled Assam, Bihar and West Bengal.
The Cockroach Janta Party said that it had on Saturday withdrawn its call for a nationwide protest only after the Union government assured it that “no punitive action would be taken against any protester, either now or in the future, in any BJP-ruled or NDA [National Democratic Alliance]-ruled states”.
On Monday, the Cockroach Janta Party said that the Rajasthan government had also assured it that no action will be taken against the protesters. It was unclear whether the cases in West Bengal had been dropped.
The Bihar Police said on Monday that 694 persons were detained in the state during the protests on Saturday. It added that 339 minors were released after signing bonds, while 355 persons accused of involvement in violent incidents were produced before a court.
In neighbouring West Bengal, 14 persons, mostly Muslims, were arrested for allegedly attacking police personnel and journalists during a protest against paper leaks in Kolkata on Friday. Cases have been filed against 70 persons.
The Assam Police had arrested six persons and detained at least 24 in connection with a demonstration held in Guwahati in solidarity with the protests in Delhi.
In Goa’s capital Panaji, the police detained two persons on Saturday for holding a placard expressing support for jailed activist Umar Khalid during a demonstration held in solidarity with the youth protests in Delhi.
Written by Nachiket Deuskar. Edited by Tanya Shrivastava.
*Also read: *
- Follow Scroll’s coverage of the youth protests here
- Family of Muslim volunteer at Jantar Mantar protest released by UP Police
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