Patna students renew protest over NEET stir arrests, demand release of friends

Hundreds of students and youth activists marched in Patna on Tuesday, alleging that the Bihar government has not kept its promise to release students arrested during last month's demonstrations over the NEET paper leak. Police used water cannons to disperse the protest after the marchers attempted to proceed towards the chief minister's residence.

The protesters assembled at Gandhi Maidan before moving towards the official residence of the chief minister. They were stopped near the Income Tax roundabout, roughly two kilometres from their destination, where police had placed barricades.

The demonstrators demanded the immediate release of all students still in jail and the withdrawal of criminal cases registered against those detained during the statewide agitation. One protester was quoted by news agency PTI as saying, "We want a verified list of those who have been released from jail and those who are still behind bars after being arrested during the protests."

The protests follow a police crackdown on a bandh called last month, in which nearly 600 people were detained. The demonstration had demanded the resignation of the then Union education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, over the alleged leak of the NEET exam paper. Police later released around half of those detained after determining they were minors, while the remaining protesters were sent to jail.

The state home department subsequently announced that all criminal cases against the students would be withdrawn and those lodged in jail would be released. The assurance came after a delegation led by Neha, president of the All India Students' Association (AISA), met Director General of Police Vinay Kumar.

However, the protesters alleged on Tuesday that this promise has remained unfulfilled. "Many of our friends are yet to return home. The police are lying. We are worried about our friends," a protester shouted at the gathering.

One student activist from Siwan district also alleged excessive use of force during the earlier protests. "I come from the district where a police personnel had fired at students from an AK-47 rifle. The constable has been suspended, but we also seek action against the SP, who is responsible for making his subordinates trigger-happy," the activist said. Police have previously suspended the constable involved in the firing incident.

Independent Purnea MP Pappu Yadav and Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram joined the demonstration. Ram was among a few opposition leaders who were taken away by police after water cannons were deployed.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer Amarendra Kumar Jha defended the police action, saying officers acted only after protesters attempted to enter a restricted area. He added that no one had been detained, and that a delegation from the protesters was assisted in presenting its grievances to a competent authority.

The renewed protests underscore the continuing fallout from the NEET controversy, which has sparked widespread student anger across several states. While the central government has ordered a re-test for candidates affected by the leak, demands for accountability continue.