Top News

Ranchi: Mohammad Junaid, who gained attention for feeding protesters at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, arrived in Jharkhand’s Ranchi to extend similar support to students protesting government recruitment exam irregularities.

Videos from the protest site, Jaipal Singh Stadium, show Junaid interacting with several students, including the six protesters who are on an indefinite hunger strike.

“Just as we stood with students during the NEET protest by arranging food and drinking water for them, we will make similar efforts here as well. We have just arrived, so we will first assess the situation and then continue our support,” said Junaid.

He remarked that the injustice faced by students in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) exams is a matter of concern, reiterating the protesters’ demands. We demand a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the alleged irregularities, Junaid said, urging the government to accept them at the earliest.

Junaid said that the movement will only get bigger if their demands are not met, claiming more student organisations and Cockroach Janta Party will soon join them. “It is taking them time because they were having a meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar regarding the future roadmap,” he said.

“We will go everywhere where students are fighting for their rights and against paper leaks. Until the students’ demands are met, our protest and support will continue,” he added.

Police action against Junaid’s family

Junaid had been embroiled in a legal battle following the CJP protests, when he alleged that the Uttar Pradesh Police targeted him and his family for providing meals to protesters at Jantar Mantar.

While the NEET protest was ongoing in July, he had claimed that UP police raided his house in Masoori, Ghaziabad, arrested his father, Mustafa, and detained his minor brother, while seizing financial and identity documents including PAN cards, Aadhaar cards and bank passbooks. 

Speaking to the media at the time, Junaid said he was being threatened against joining the protesters and told to return from Delhi.

He further alleged that the UP Police also reached his sister’s house in Meerut, where they arrested both her husband and father-in-law. His sister told reporters that police had asked her father to call Junaid and tell him to return home. The Meerut Police denied these allegations.

Later, on July 27, Junaid’s lawyer released a statement that his family had been released from custody. “Mohammad Junaid and his whole family have been released and set free, as confirmed by one of the family members… he and his family are free now.”