The student movement of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which ran for 36 days at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, created history. This voice raised against the NEET paper leak led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. But as soon as the movement ended, a campaign to defame it started. There were talks of involvement of criminal elements in the movement, making abusive videos viral, getting posts removed on social media and attempts to divert attention from the core issue of the movement. After all, why is the CJP movement being tainted…

First stain: 989 out of 2,873 people with criminal background?

The data of Delhi Police became the first and biggest weapon to defame the CJP movement. Following the clashes during the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march on July 20, police identified 2,873 people based on CCTV footage. Police claim that 989 of these people have a criminal record, that is, one out of every three. According to Delhi Police, among these 989 people:

Crime	Number
accused of murder	101
attempted murder	62
Robbery	284
rape	61
molestation of women	25
Sexual Offenses against Children (POCSO)	6
Arms Act	229
Narcotic Drugs (NDPS)	67
kidnapping	19
pounce	135

Are these figures true?

Two big questions arise here:

1. Police identified 2,873 people from CCTV footage, but thousands of people were involved in the CJP movement. Can the sample of 2,873 people be considered representative of the entire movement?
   Police say that 989 of these people had criminal background. CJP alleges that before the end of the movement, the government had assured that no legal action or FIR would be registered against the protesters. So why didn’t this happen?
2. On one hand, the government assured the agitators of withdrawal of the FIR. On the other hand, the police released figures and started calling the movement a ‘gathering of criminals’. This contradiction in itself raises the question whether these figures are being used to defame the movement?

Second stain: ‘Neem leaf is bitter…’ abuse controversy

The issue of ‘hate speech’ became the second major weapon to defame the movement. During the movement, some protesters raised objectionable slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A video of Dibisa Mahant, daughter of Assam NDA minister Keshab Mahant, went viral, in which she was seen raising the slogan ‘Neem leaf is bitter…’ during the CJP protest. This slogan was extremely objectionable and immediately went viral on social media.

After the end of the movement, Delhi Police intensified the campaign against objectionable posts against PM Modi on social media. Notices were sent to many social media platforms and hundreds of posts, videos and comments were removed. A police team is continuously monitoring online content.

Is the abuse an excuse to defame the entire movement?

CJP says that he advocated peaceful movement from the beginning. CJP spokesperson claims that the 37-day movement was peaceful. Still, an attempt is being made to term the entire movement as ‘indecent’ by highlighting the abuses of some people.

Interestingly, when celebrities like Kangana Ranaut and Anupam Kher raised questions on the language of the girls participating in the movement, the same pattern was seen. Attention was diverted from the core issue of the movement and a debate was started on language and etiquette.

Third stain: Allegation of ‘Khalistani connection’

Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, chief of the banned organization Sikh for Justice (SFJ), released a video claiming that he had joined the CJP movement…. Although this claim was rejected by the CJP, it was widely discussed in the media.

Fourth stain: Narrative of ‘anti-social elements infiltrating the movement’

Delhi Police also claimed that more than 2500 people with criminal cases participated in the CJP protest held on July 20. Police argue that ‘infiltrators’ carried out the violence. But the question is whether these ‘infiltrators’ were sent to defame the movement? Or are the police themselves presenting these figures to term the movement as a ‘movement of criminals’?

Movement leader’s allegation: ‘Deliberate attempt to defame’

CJP founder Abhijeet Deepke alleged that some people are deliberately trying to defame the movement and spoil the atmosphere. The leaders of the movement themselves believe that these efforts to defame are organized and there is some intention behind them.

So why is the movement being maligned?

Experts say that if we look at all the facts together, four major reasons emerge:

1. Resentment created by the success of the movement

CJP movement led to the resignation of the Education Minister. This is one of the biggest successes of the student movement in the recent history of India. When a movement becomes so powerful, the credibility of those in power tries to weaken it. Portraying the movement as a ‘bunch of criminals’ and ‘abusers’ is the easiest way to weaken it.

2. Preventing future movements

The success of CJP gave a message to the youth of the entire country that if they raise their voice unitedly then the government has to bow down. This message is dangerous for the government, hence an attempt was made to defame CJP and give the message that ‘criminals and abusers are involved in the movement.’ This should prevent any further agitation in future.

3. Diversion from real issues

NEET paper leak, reform and transparency in the education system are serious issues. The government is not ready to have a debate on these. Because of this, an attempt was made to bury the core issues by taking the debate to issues like language, abuses and criminals.

4. Battle of ‘movement’ versus ‘system’

CJP challenged power through jokes and memes. The name ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ was a taunt in itself. When a movement makes such a big impact through laughter and social media, it becomes difficult to take it seriously for the credibility of the government. The only way left is to defame him.

The system is restless due to the government bowing down

The success of the CJP movement proved that the youth can unite and defeat the biggest government, but this success also made the movement enemies. The figures of criminals, abusive videos, allegations of Khalistani connections and the action of removing social media posts show a pattern – an attempt to discredit the movement by sidelining its real issue.

So will we forget the real issues by getting entangled in these defamatory attempts? Or will the youth once again unite and keep their voices heard?