Mohammad Junaid, a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) volunteer who was a prominent face of the protest at Jantar Mantar, has quashed speculation of differences with the Abhijeet Dipke-led outfit. In a video released on Monday, Junaid urged supporters not to pay heed to “fake rumours” and said that the CJP leadership was with him.
Separately, the CJP also said that Junaid was being given all legal assistance and had also briefly joined a get-together of volunteers after the protest ended. Junaid is a Ghaziabad resident who provided free food and drinking water to protesters in Delhi.
“We urge everyone to stop spreading misinformation and hate. Whatever action took place at his residence was addressed promptly in the first instance,” CJP spokesperson and legal point of contact Ratna Singh said in a tweet.
Her remarks came days after Junaid alleged that police detained his family members in Ghaziabad and harassed his relatives in Meerut because of his role in the agitation.
Junaid’s clarification amid speculation
After the CJP protest ended on Saturday, several posts surfaced online, speculating a rift between Junaid and the outfit. Some posts claimed that Junaid was snubbed from a party celebrating Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and others said that Abhijeet Dipke wouldn’t answer his calls anymore.
Putting the allegations to rest, Junaid released a video on Monday, saying: “Some people want to defame our movement…I’m healthy and good and so is my family. All prayers are with me. The top leadership is with me. This is a conspiracy to spoil the movement.” The video was also reposted by the CJP on Instagram.
Similarly, the CJP also dismissed the speculation. “All news and rumours regarding Mohammad Junaid are false. He is safe, is receiving all necessary legal assistance and was also present at our volunteers get-together for a while,” Ratna Singh said in an X post which was also shared by the CJP.
“We have always treated Junaid with immense respect and we will continue to stand by him (& other volunteers),” she said.
Junaid’s police action claim
According to a PTI report from July 25, the day the CJP protest ended, Junaid had alleged that UP Police took away his family members in Ghaziabad and seized their bank passbooks and PAN cards during a raid at his house. He also said that his relatives in Meerut were harassed by cops.
The alleged police action was also condemned by the CJP. “We condemn the illegal police crackdown against Junaid by the UP Police. We’ve been in regular touch with him and providing all necessary help from day 1,” CJP spokesperson Saurav Das had said, urging immediate release of Junaid’s family members.
However, Superintendent of Police (City) Vinayak Gopal Bhonsle told PTI that Meerut Police had verified the claims with all police station heads and found that no member of Junaid’s family had been detained.
