Dharmendra Pradhan resigns, FIRs withdrawn, compensation promised: CJP ends protest

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) announced on Saturday (25 July) that it was withdrawing its month-long agitation over the alleged NEET paper leak, after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned and they secured government commitments on compensation for affected families and the withdrawal of criminal cases filed against protesters.

CJP Withdraws Agitation "in Good Faith"

Announcing the outcome of talks with the government, CJP Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das said the outfit was calling off its protest on the understanding that promises made would be honoured on schedule. "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.

The announcement caps a campaign that began at Jantar Mantar on 20 June and had already claimed Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation earlier in the day, a development the group had described as the movement's first victory.

Government Agrees to Compensation for NEET Victims' Families

National Spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka set out the financial commitment secured from the government, one of the CJP's founding demands. "We had demanded compensation of ₹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," Ranka said.

Ranka added that the discussions had extended well beyond compensation, touching on a wider agenda for reform that the CJP intends to pursue in further engagement with the government.

"Apart from this, we also placed a five-point demand charter before the government, which talked about broader educational reforms and exam reforms. We will meet the government again in about four weeks regarding that demand charter so that we can work together on broader reforms," he said, adding that the agitation's continued withdrawal was contingent on the government following through. "If all these demands are agreeable to the government, then we would also like to withdraw the agitation."

Government Agrees to Withdraw FIRs Against Protesters Nationwide

Das also detailed progress on the CJP's second core demand, concerning the legal cases filed against demonstrators during the protest. "Our second demand was that all the FIRs filed against the protesters, not just in Delhi but in all BJP-ruled and BJP-allied states, should be withdrawn. This was also our second demand. The government has accepted that demand as well," he said.

According to Das, officials have given assurances that the process will move quickly and transparently. "Furthermore, the withdrawal will be done shortly. The government has assured us that it will share copies of all the FIRs filed, as per our last information, 15 to 20 FIRs were filed in Delhi, and we will receive those copies within three to four days in any case. The government has also assured that the withdrawal will be done shortly," he said.

Written Guarantee Expected From Government by Tuesday

To formalise the understanding reached in talks, the CJP said it had submitted its own draft assurance to the government for sign-off. "Understanding this, we have shared a draft with the government, which is a written guarantee. The government has said it will share this with us by Tuesday. We hope that by Tuesday we will receive the government's guarantees regarding these FIRs and any future action," Das said.

A Month of Protest Ends With Partial Wins and a Watching Brief

The withdrawal brings a formal close, for now, to a 36-day agitation that had drawn thousands to Jantar Mantar, featured a prolonged hunger strike by environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, and culminated in Pradhan's resignation earlier on Saturday.

With compensation pledged, FIR withdrawals promised, and a fresh round of talks scheduled within a month over broader examination and education reforms, the CJP has signalled that its retreat from the streets is conditional rather than final, with the group keeping a close watch on whether the government's assurances are honoured within the stated timelines.