The sudden reversal applies to student protesters and volunteers who participated in CJP-linked protests in the state before 6 PM on July 26, who were detained en masse.

The sudden reversal applies to student protesters and volunteers who participated in CJP-linked protests in the state before 6 PM on July 26, who were detained en masse.

The sudden reversal applies to student protesters and volunteers who participated in CJP-linked protests in the state before 6 PM on July 26, who were detained en masse.

In a major win for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) just hours after it warned the Centre that it would restart protests if its demands were not met, the Bihar government on Monday announced it would not take any "punitive or retaliatory legal action" against student protesters or volunteers.

The sudden reversal applies to student protesters and volunteers who participated in CJP-linked protests in the state before 6 PM on July 26, who were detained en masse.

"The legal process for withdrawal of all existing First Information Report (FIRs), criminal complaints or showcause notice (against them) ... will be initiated immediately," a directive from Bihar's home ministry read, as per an ANI report.

It added that the students and volunteers detained for this purpose would be released, and that they would be protected from legal action related to the CJP protests in the future as well.

This comes after the Bihar Police’s violent crackdown against the protesters received widespread backlash inside and outside the state.

Police said that nearly 700 people were detained across the state in connection with the July 25 strike in Bihar, jointly organised by the All-India Students’ Association (AISA) and Revolutionary Youth Association (RYA), in solidarity with the CJP’s protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar for accountability in education.

Of these, 355 youths were remanded in judicial custody, while 339 others, including minors, were released after age verification.

In a press conference on Monday, the CJP had cited Bihar among two other places—West Bengal and Delhi—where student protesters and volunteers were being detained even after the satirical outfit called off its protests when ex-Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned.

With independent Rajya Sabha leader and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal by their side, the presser saw CJP spokespersons Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das warn the Centre that it would resume its weeks-long protests if the FIRs against student protesters and volunteers were not revoked, and they were not released.

It also lashed out against the government for breaking the promises that had been made on July 24—that all the CJP's demands would be met—in exchange for stopping the protests.

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