The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has extended its support to a student-led protest at Dharna Chowk in Hyderabad on Thursday, September 3, with the protesting polytechnic students from Telangana demanding the immediate withdrawal of Government Order (GO) 97.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke joined the protest through a video conference and assured the students of the party’s support. He said he would travel to Telangana and join the protesters in person if the government failed to address their grievances or if the protests continued.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and will strongly oppose any unlawful cases filed against students for exercising their democratic right to protest,” Mr. Dipke said. He also interacted with students who were reportedly injured during the protest and condemned the alleged police lathi-charge.

CJP national media and south zone lead Vijay Mallangi questioned why technical students were being forced to protest instead of pursuing their careers in classrooms. “The government negligence and G.O. 97 are pushing aspiring mechanical, electrical, communication, and civil engineering professionals toward manual labour, instead of skilled careers,” he added.

The CJP also demanded that students be included in the State-appointed committee reviewing G.O. 97. Mr. Mallangi criticised the government for taking decisions without adequate consultation with affected stakeholders and urged the students to continue their protest peacefully.

The CJP in a statement reiterated four demands, immediate withdrawal of GO 97, mandatory student representation on the review committee, protection of students from alleged police excesses, and the initiation of a transparent dialogue between the government and the student community.