Patna: Nearly 200 students allegedly detained after the July 22 and 25 protests, demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak, remained in custody for over 24 hours across police stations in the city, advocates alleged.Advocate Akanksha Shahi, who is providing legal aid to several detainees, said 58 of them were sent to remand on July 25. Around 87 more are likely to be sent to judicial custody on Sunday, she said. Several detainees are minors, she added.According to advocates, around 15 detainees were held at Gandhi Maidan police station, 28 at Digha, and 22 each at Rupaspura and Airport police stations, among others.Advocate Abhishek Kumar, who is also providing pro bono legal aid (free legal help), said the families of several detainees were not informed about their detention.
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He said detainees are required to be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, which expired at 2pm on Sunday. The detainees were taken for medical examinations to govt hospitals around 5pm on Sunday, he said.Soma Kumari, a student activist and member of the Disha Students’ Organisation at Airport police station, said, “Over 200 people were detained during the July 25 protest. Around 70% of them are minors. Police are not informing us about the next step.”She added, “This is happening after it was assured by the govt that no action will be taken on the protesting students and all the FIRs will be quashed. But instead of quashing the FIRs, Patna police has kept them.”Families of the detainees said some students were caught while passing through the protest area.Shahi said the police were releasing all the women and minors, while other detainees were being sent to judicial custody.Responding to the allegations, Patna SSP Kartikeya K Sharma told TOI on Sunday that 86 protesters arrested during the July 25 violence near Gandhi Maidan were sent to judicial custody, while 60 others, including minors and women, were released on personal bonds. He said a case had been registered against the accused at Gandhi Maidan police station.The SSP added that in connection with the July 22 protest, police registered 23 FIRs across different police stations in the city and arrested 67 people, who were sent to judicial custody in different cases.Providing further details of the July 25 violence, Gandhi Maidan SHO Akhilesh Kumar Mishra, who sustained injuries during the clash, said four FIRs were registered in connection with the incident. One FIR was lodged on his statement, another on the statement of a magistrate, a third by the officer in charge of the Gandhi Maidan TOP checkpost that was attacked during the violence, and the fourth on a complaint by a repairman alleging that protesters overturned a govt vehicle parked near the police vehicle garage.Mishra said the accused have been booked under multiple charges, including unlawful assembly, rioting, attempt to murder, obstructing public servants from discharging their duties, and other offences related to the violence. Referring to the July 22 protest, Mishra said four FIRs were also registered at Gandhi Maidan police station, leading to the arrest of five people from the police station’s jurisdiction, while additional arrests were made by other police stations.Meanwhile, ADG (Law and Order) K Suhita Anupam said FIRs were registered in Saran, Siwan, Bhagalpur, Sitamarhi and Jehanabad in connection with violence during the July 25 bandh. She said 56 people were arrested in Saran, 25 in Siwan, 41 named accused in Bhagalpur, 13 in Sitamarhi and 13 in Jehanabad. She added that 19 govt vehicles and one private vehicle were vandalised, while 58 police personnel were injured, adding Siwan personnel who fired an AK-47 had been suspended.
