LIVE | CJP warns of fresh stir over FIRs against students; Sibal offers Rs 1 cr for legal fund

The top brass of CRPF has assured the force’s jawans and officers that any decision they made for the “bona fide” discharge of their duties in the recent past will have their support. A communication in this regard has reportedly been sent to all its field formations.

The message comes in the backdrop of the CRPF headquarters asking the Rapid Action Force (RAF) to inquire into allegations that its personnel used disproportionate force and fired pellet guns during recent student protests in Delhi, including charges of firing pellet guns on July 20 during the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march.

The CRPF headquarters has reportedly “lauded” the endurance and patience exhibited by the personnel while discharging their duties during the “difficult situation” they faced recently.

Heightened security deployment will remain in force across New Delhi and Central Delhi districts to maintain law and order as the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) warned of fresh protests if FIRs registered against demonstrators are not withdrawn.

A senior police officer said adequate deployment of Delhi Police personnel and paramilitary forces would remain around Jantar Mantar and other sensitive locations in New Delhi and Central Delhi to ensure law and order is maintained.

Addressing a press conference, CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said, “In the third round of talks, we had agreed that all FIRs filed against protesters and organisers across the country would be withdrawn and no new FIR would be filed against any organiser and protester in future,” he said.

Ranka said if the written agreement was not received by Tuesday and protesters and organisers arrested in connection with the agitation were not released, the outfit would be “forced to protest again”.

The Bihar Police has said 694 people, nearly half of whom are minors, were detained for trying to enforce a state-wide bandh last week over the NEET paper leak issue.

According to a statement issued by the police, violence during the July 25 bandh, called by Left wing students’ unions, also resulted in injuries to 91 personnel and officials, a couple of administrative officers and 13 common people.

Among the detainees, “339 minors and students” were let off after age verification, while the remaining 355 were undergoing trial before courts “for involvement in violent activities”, it said.

Thirteen government vehicles were vandalised and another was set on fire by bandh supporters, and those who received injuries during such incidents included the SP of Siwan, and an SDPO each from Siwan and Sitamarhi districts, the statement said.

In Saran, two Block Development Officers received grievous injuries, one of whom lost an eye while the other had a serious wound in the head, it said. Both BDOs were “battling for life” at separate hospitals in the state capital, police added.

Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha has approached the Supreme Court seeking registration of FIRs over the alleged use of excessive police force against students protesting against NEET paper leaks.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana agreed to list the matter on Tuesday after the plea for urgent listing was mentioned by advocate Fauzia Shakil.

“We have filed a writ petition with comprehensive information, including Bihar firing,” Shakil said, adding that police in Bihar allegedly used AK-47 on the protesters.

The bench said all the petitions alleging excessive use of police force against students participating in protests across the country over the issue of examination paper leaks will be heard on Tuesday.

In his petition, Jha has prayed for a direction to the states and Union Territories to register FIRs on allegations of police brutality and disproportionate police action against peaceful protesters between July 20 and July 25 in different parts of the country, especially on July 20 at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

He has sought a probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the respective states and UTs by a team comprising the director general of police (DGP) and two senior women IPS officers not below the rank of inspector general of police (IGP).

Jha said the probe may be supervised by a retired high court judge and completed in three months.

The stalemate in the Lok Sabha is likely to end on Tuesday as Speaker Om Birla has convinced leaders of all political parties to take up discussion on the Bill to amend the anti-paper leak law, according to news agency PTI.

“All political parties have agreed to discuss the anti-paper leak bill on Tuesday. Following Om Birla's initiative and sustained dialogue, floor leaders of political parties have agreed to commence discussion on the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill 2026,” PTI cited a parliamentary source as saying.

The Centre on Monday introduced the Bill in the Lok Sabha on Monday, but no discussion could take place as the Opposition continued to protest seeking a response from the government over police action on the protesters at Jantar Mantar and other parts of the country.

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) on Monday organised a ceremony in Delhi to honour those who participated in the recently concluded nationwide movement over alleged examination irregularities and described it as a “historic victory”.

The event, held at HKS Surjeet Bhawan, honoured activists who participated in the month-long protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. It also recognised those who undertook hunger strikes and sustained injuries during the police action on protesters.

SFI organisers said that former Olympian wrestler Bajrang Punia, former Indian volleyball player Jagmati Sangwan and actor and CJP spokesperson Sudhir Sangwan attended the programme.

Calling Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation a victory for students' collective struggle, SFI said the movement had demonstrated that sustained democratic protests could compel governments to respond to public demands.

However, the organisation said the resignation of the minister was “only one milestone” and reiterated that its campaign would continue until its broader demands, including the scrapping of the National Testing Agency (NTA), withdrawal of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and structural reforms in public education, are addressed.