CJP Protest: Why Is RAF Officer Sonia Sherawat In The Spotlight?

Assistant Commandant with the Rapid Action Force (RAF) of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Sonia Sherawat's alleged Instagram Story in which she shared a reel saying, “Can’t fix themselves and they wanna fix the country,” went viral. The reel had a picture of a dead cockroach, prompting the Cockroach Janta Party to react.

Mahua Moitra, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) MP critiqued the said story wherein she had talked about the protests. Moitra shared a screenshot of Sherawat’s Instagram story.

Who is officer Sherawat?

Sherawat is tasked with handling riots and crowd control as a part of her duty with the RAF at during the parliament march 'Sansad Chalo' by the CJP.

As per Hindustan Times, Sherawat was first with National Cadet Corps (NCC), and then went on to clear the Union Public Service Commission's Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandant) examination and joined the CRPF.

Sherawat Sustained Injuries During CJP Protests

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Sherawat talked about the police lathicharges against protesters on July 20 and 21, and said that the RAF personnel under her command protected the women. She junked the allegations that the personnel assaulted women.

"It was not done by my jawans, neither intentionally nor unintentionally. They are manned and trained to save women," Sehrawat said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.

She said that appeals were made to the protesters to keep distance. When several women fell in a stampede-like situation, she too, sustained injuries. "When I fell to the ground, stones and shoes were being thrown at me. They even took off my helmet," she said.

She added that an RAF jawan was dragged into the crowd. Due to which, the personnel acted in self-defence. Delhi Police later said in a statement that in total, 118 of its personnel sustained injuries during the protests.

Moitra Comments On Sherawat

In a post on X, Moitra demanded to know where Sherawat lives. She said, “RAF assistant commandant Sonia Shehrawat’s insta profile calling our children protestors cockroaches.  Let’s find out who she is, where she lives, what’s her record? Let’s name & shame & drag each of these zealots through the law”.

Commenting on the same, the Cockroach Janta Party said that cockroaches never die.

In a post on X, the party said, “ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING: This RAF official actually sees the peaceful protesters as cockroaches and thinks that the brutality of the police was justified because of that. But you see, we are cockroaches. And cockroaches never die!”

Fast-track Courts To Solve Cases Of Paper Leaks

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, announced the creation of fast-track courts to prosecute individuals involved in examination paper leaks through a post on X. The intervention marks Modi’s first public remarks regarding the controversy since the July 20 Sansad March led by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and supported by opposition groups including the Aam Aadmi Party, Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT).

Modi’s response on X said, "Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth! We have decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks. Have directed the concerned authorities and officials to take all necessary steps in this regard. This continues our series of steps for safeguarding the interests of students. Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared."

Tensions escalated in the capital when the CJP organised a march to Parliament on July 20. The immediate trigger for the demonstrations was the cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), India's undergraduate medical school entrance exam, after its question papers were found to have been leaked. About two million students across India took the exam on May 3, but it was later scrapped, with about a dozen student suicides linked to its cancellation.

When police used lathicharges against protesters marching toward Parliament on July 20 and 21, the opening days of the Monsoon Session, video of young people being dragged spread instantly across social media. After Sonam Wangchuk was removed from the protest site and taken to a hospital during his hunger strike, videos of the incident circulated widely, drawing political reactions.