“We demand that all FIRs against the protesters be immediately withdrawn, students be released, and no fresh FIRs be filed (in line with our agreement) by the Delhi Police, central investigative agencies, or police in BJP-allied states. Failing this, we will be forced to resume our protest. We also demand that the written agreement on legal cases be shared with us by tomorrow, along with the timelines agreed upon with the Government of India,” he said, accompanied by Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal and fellow CJP spokesperson Saurav Das.
CJP Spokesperson Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka along with senior advocate Kapil Sibal address a press conference over the FIRs registered against the student protesters. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
Das said the CJP had anticipated that protesters would face legal action even before its sit-in at Jantar Mantar concluded on July 25. He said the CJP leadership had met Sibal, a senior advocate, to seek legal guidance on supporting protesters facing criminal proceedings across the country. The CJP announced a nationwide legal aid cell and launched an online evidence-gathering platform named SAAKSHI. Sibal announced a Rs 1 crore corpus to establish and operate the legal aid network, saying the funds would be used only to assist protesters.
Bihar and Assam orders
In a statement, the Bihar government said no “punitive, retaliatory, or adverse legal action” would be taken against those who participated in the protests in the state before 6 pm on July 26.
Those arrested or detained before the cut-off date and time would be released “expeditiously” and no “direct or indirect action” would be taken against people named in cases registered before 6 pm on July 26. A total of 694 people across the state were taken into custody during the Bihar bandh on July 25, with 339 minors and students released after verification.
The Assam government also announced a similar cut-off as Bihar for withdrawing cases against protesters and reviewing the arrests and release of those in custody. Thirteen people were arrested and five cases were registered in connection with the exam paper leak protests.
NDA allies in Bihar differ
The arrest of the protesters and the use of an AK-47 by a policeman in Siwan during the July 25 Bihar bandh had triggered a political row in the state.
All India Students’ Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora, who was on a 23-day hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, reached Patna on Monday and demanded the immediate release of those arrested and the withdrawal of cases.
“Arresting students and invoking serious charges such as attempt to murder against them for protesting is unacceptable. The government must honour its assurance and withdraw all cases against the protesters; otherwise, Bihar, too, will witness protests similar to those in Delhi,” Bora said.
While the Opposition sharpened its attack on the Samrat Choudhary government, the BJP’s NDA allies appeared divided on the police response. This was likely a factor in the government’s decision.
JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad told The Indian Express that there should be “no repeat of the Siwan-like incident”. “The fact that the police have initiated action against one of their own (by suspending the constable for firing his AK-47) shows that the state police are fair. They should prepare a comprehensive report on the Siwan firing and the overall police action during the Bihar bandh,” he said.
Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha also demanded a detailed report to “put the record straight”, saying the police need to distinguish between genuine students and anti-social elements.
However, Union Minister and HAM(S) patron Jitan Ram Manjhi defended the police, claiming it used force in self-defence. LJP(RV) spokesperson Vinit Singh also backed the police. “We support genuine students, but the police were right in taking action against hooligans caught on camera. The police have to maintain law and order,” he said.
Opposition applies pressure
The Bihar government also faced mounting pressure from Opposition parties RJD and Congress, apart from the Left. The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the state, Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD, demanded a judicial inquiry into the Siwan incident and gave the government time till Monday night to release the protesters. The RJD would launch a statewide agitation if the government failed to do so, he said.
The Congress too targeted the BJP-led government in the state, with LoP Rahul Gandhi accusing it of reneging on its promise not to file FIRs against protesting students.
“Reports are coming in that AK-47s have been fired at protesting students in Bihar, and hundreds have been arrested and booked under FIRs. Modiji, what happened to your promise that no FIRs would be filed against students and that they would be released?” he said in a post on X.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also questioned the use of “sophisticated weapons” at protest sites, saying students “are not terrorists”. FIRs continued to be lodged against protesters in Bihar and West Bengal despite the Centre’s assurances, she alleged.
What’s happening in Bengal
In West Bengal, where the July 24 protest march in Kolkata turned violent and left policemen and journalists injured, the government continues its crackdown. The police have so far registered seven FIRs and arrested 16 people, including two on Monday. So far, they have not indicated they would drop the cases.
The police said those arrested, aged between 29 and 50, had been booked under provisions of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and the newly enacted West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Act, among other sections of the BNS.
Left-affiliated student outfits that participated in the CJP-backed protest, however, denied any role in the violence and alleged that infiltrators had sabotaged it. In a joint statement, both the Left and the CJP condemned the violence.
“As per the information available with us, none of our members have been arrested. Moreover, the NEET protest in Kolkata had only our moral support, nothing more,” said Dedipya Ganguly of CJP, Kolkata.
In the Assembly, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said around 70 people identified from the Dharmatala rally were “not students” and had no connection with the NEET movement. “We will drive these anti-nationals out of Bengal,” he said, alleging that students of Jadavpur University had been forced to participate in the protest.
State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya also defended the police action against those allegedly raising anti-national slogans during the protest. In a show of strength, the BJP organised Tiranga rallies (Tricolour marches) in Kolkata on Monday.
— With ENS Delhi inputs
