It is noteworthy that on July 26, alongside the announcement regarding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the central government—in a joint press conference held in Delhi in the presence of the leadership of the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’—announced that cases filed against protesters would be withdrawn. A similar assurance had been given a day earlier by two Union Ministers, JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, while persuading Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike at Medanta Hospital.
Now, on Monday (July 27, 2026), the Bihar government has announced that it will withdraw all police cases filed against those who protested against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak scandal. This government announcement follows a threat by the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ to launch a new protest regarding these police cases. Those detained included protesters as well as activists and office-bearers from the Disha Chhatra Sangathan and the All India Students Association (AISA). There were reports that some individuals were taken into custody as a preventive police measure even before the protests began.
In a press release issued on Monday, the Home Department of the Bihar government stated: “No adverse legal action—whether punitive or retaliatory—will be taken by the government against any person who participated in protests prior to 6 PM on July 26 across the state.” It further added that “all individuals arrested or detained in connection with cases registered before the specified date will be released immediately.”
The press statement released to the media bears the signature of Special Secretary Kshatranil Singh, an officer of the 2005 batch of the Indian Police Service (Bihar cadre). In terms of police rank, Mr. Singh holds the position of Inspector General of Police (IG).
Notably, this assurance from the government follows sharp criticism regarding the Bihar Police’s actions against the protesters.
The police stated that approximately 700 people were detained across the state in connection with protests held on July 25, which were organized in support of the weeks-long demonstration by CJP at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Of these, more than 350 individuals were remanded to judicial custody, while others were released after verification of their age. The highest number of detentions occurred in the capital, Patna. Apart from Patna, massive protests also took place in the Siwan and Chhapra districts.
