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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Rallies across state back CJP

Several protesters gathered at Dadar, Mumbai, on Monday in support of CJP's Delhi protest. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Endorsing the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s massive agitation near the Parliament in New Delhi, lakhs of youth, students and social organizations took to the streets with angry protests, marches and demonstrations almost all over Maharashtra on Monday. Opposition parties in the state including the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and...

Rallies across state back CJP

Several protesters gathered at Dadar, Mumbai, on Monday in support of CJP's Delhi protest. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Endorsing the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s massive agitation near the Parliament in New Delhi, lakhs of youth, students and social organizations took to the streets with angry protests, marches and demonstrations almost all over Maharashtra on Monday. Opposition parties in the state including the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (UBT), along with other smaller outfits either voluntarily joined the protestors or wholeheartedly supported them. The political parties expressed full solidarity with the CJP, flayed the forced hospitalization of environment activist Sonam Wangchuk and expressed anger at the purported undermining of major public examinations beset with multiple leaks of question papers in recent years. The demonstrations attracted thousands of collegians, unemployed youngsters, professionals like lawyers, social activists, civil society members, farmers and others, including a large number of women, as the local police deployed strict security to prevent any untoward incidents. The protestors, carrying banners, placards, the National Tricolour and in some places, copies of the Constitution marched or assembled at various central locations in different cities, including Dadar in Mumbai, respective district headquarters since morning, braving showers or heavy rains in many areas. They ranted anti-government slogans, vociferously demanded the resignation of the Union Education Minister of India Dharmendra Pradhan, seeking what they termed as ‘accountability by those holding public offices’, ‘transparency’, ‘safeguarding their democratic rights’ and ‘mutual dialogue’ to resolve such contentious issues. In some districts, the gatherings also condemned the forcible eviction of Wangchuk to a government hospital two days ago, and lashed out the Delhi Police for lobbing teargas shells and mild lathi-charge on the protestors who reached very close to the Parliament – where the Monsoon Session 2026 opened on Monday. Constitutional Rights Speakers at the venues accused the government of allegedly suppressing the Constitutional right to peaceful protests through high-handed means, warning it could deepen public resentment rather than solving the problems the masses raised. Though the emotionally-charged protests in the state remained largely disciplined and peaceful, in some places like Mumbai, a few demonstrators were detained in the afternoon for not adhering to police directives. In Mumbai, the participants included mostly students, young professionals, retired citizens and civil society groups, while the district-level rallies elsewhere drew significant presence of the local youth, farmers organisations and social activists. The vigorous campaigns were carried out in the capital Mumbai and second capital Nagpur, besides Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Akola, Amravati, Dhule, Ahilyanagar, Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Jalna, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Wardha, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Bhandara, Washim, Yavatmal and Buldhana. Thackeray slams Centre Ex-Chief Minister and SS (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray took potshots at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government saying “they can hold talks with Pakistan, but not our youth”. His party MP Sanjay Raut alleged that ‘one word’ by a top judge had sparked a nationwide unrest for the past two months, igniting the youth to question the BJP governments at the Centre and in states. Many irate youngsters told the media that the exam reforms centric campaign has now transformed into a broader nationwide movement for debates on civil liberties, dissent and democratic rights of the citizens, and they would continue till their aims are achieved. Hundreds gather in Nagpur to support CJP Hundreds of students, youth and senior citizens staged an agitation in Nagpur on Monday in support of activist Sonam Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janta Party's protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. Chanting anti-government slogans over alleged exam paper leaks, angry demonstrators, including students and senior citizens, gathered at Samvidhan Square and vowed to press ahead with their agitation until the education minister steps down. Protesters expressed outrage over the forcible removal of Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar in the national capital and the lathi-charge on students during their march to Parliament. Holding placards, banners and photos of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, demonstrators gathered at the site amid heavy police deployment. One of the young demonstrators said that their agitation will continue till the education minister resigns.

Eleven Maoists lay down arms in Gondia

More than 100 Red rebels surrender in central India

Naxals arrive to surrender their weapons before police in Gondia district, on Friday. Pic: PTI
Naxals arrive to surrender their weapons before police in Gondia district, on Friday. Pic: PTI

Gondia (Maharashtra): As the Centre’s deadline to crush Maoism by March 2026 approaches, the Red brigade suffered another setback with 11 Maoists laying down arms in Gondia district.

 

This has taken the count of surrenders to over 100 during this week in central India - with the CPI (Maoist) networks seen to be crumbling in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh – and the security forces gaining an upper hand.

 

According to Gadchiroli Range Deputy IGP Ankit Goyal, among the 11 is one Vinod Sayyana, 40, a senior Maoist cadre from Karimnagar in Telangana, who carried a bounty of Rs 25 lakhs. He gave himself up with an AK-47 assault rifle.

 

The entire surrendered group belonged to the dreaded Darekasa Dalam, which is the most active unit in the MMC zone of Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh.

 

“With the latest surrender, a majority of the insurgents, who carried a total reward of Rs 89 Lakhs, have now given up violence and are prepared to join the national mainstream. It is a decisive blow dealt to the outfit’s operational strength on the ground,” Goyal told the media on Friday.

 

The others, including at least four women rebels, are identified as: Rani alias Rame Yesu Narote (30), Sheila Chamru Madavi (40) and Ritu Bhima Dodi (20), Shevanti Raisingh Pandre (32), Pandu Pusu Wadde (35), Santu alias Tijauram Dharamsahay Poretti (35), Kashiram Rajya Bantula (62), Nakke Suklu Kara (55), Sannu Mudiyam (27), Sadu Pulai Sotti (30).

 

According to officials, the last week of November alone has witnessed over 100 Maoists - carrying cumulative rewards exceeding Rs 1.50 crore - renouncing violence and returning to the mainstream across Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, historically regarded as the epi-centre of Maoist insurgency, with spillover in other states.

 

Chhattisgarh witnesses surrenders

Several hardcore Maoists also shunned violence in Chhattisgarh, among them was Saroj alias Malku Sodhi, a divisional committee member with an Rs 8-lakh reward, and a group of area committee members Bhupesh alias Sanak Ram Furami, Prakash, Kamlesh alias Jhitru Yadav, Janni alias Raymati Salam, Santosh, and Ramsheela alias Bukli Salam - each with bounties of Rs 5 lakh.

 

The most symbolic surrender was of Chaitu alias Shyam Dada, 63, a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) – the local Maoists’ highest decision-making. His return to normal life at a senior age underscores the disenchantment with Maoist ideology, fatigue, sustained security operations and intensified outreach campaigns by the officialdom, and the looming deadline on all outlaws still left in the jungles.

 

 


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