Assam Drops NEET Protest Cases After Bihar, Orders Releases

Assam on Monday became the second BJP-ruled state after Bihar to scrap criminal cases tied to NEET paper-leak protests, ordering police to start withdrawing FIRs, review custody, and bar fresh punitive action against demonstrators.

A Home and Political Department press release said five cases were registered in Assam over the protests and 13 people were arrested. The government said it would promptly begin withdrawing those cases at every stage of the legal process and review arrests so detainees can be released. It also said no further adverse action would be taken and the matter would be treated as closed. Indian Express reported Assam adopted the same cut-off Bihar used: participation before 6 pm on 26 July 2026.

CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das posted the Assam order on X, writing that the state had guaranteed release of arrested protesters, no future FIRs or action, and withdrawal of existing FIRs. In a separate post he said that after Bihar and Assam notifications, CJP had also been told no authority in Rajasthan would proceed against protesters and that no FIRs had been registered there. Das said CJP shared copies of the Bihar and Assam notifications in a two-to-three-hour meeting with government representatives, who restated that the Union government and other BJP/NDA states would issue similar guarantee language the next day.

What we can verify

• Assam case load and order: Home and Political Department release records five protest-linked cases and 13 arrests; government will withdraw registered cases, review arrests for release, and take no further adverse action. — The News Mill; The Indian Express
• Same cut-off as Bihar: Indian Express says Assam announced a cut-off matching Bihar’s — protests before 6 pm on 26 July 2026 — for withdrawing cases and reviewing custody. Bihar’s separate Home Department order used that same clock for no punitive or retaliatory legal action and expeditious release of those still held. — The Indian Express; The Indian Express — Bihar order
• CJP confirmation: Saurav Das publicly shared the Assam guarantee of FIR withdrawal, release, and no future action, and said similar language was sought from other NDA states. — The News Mill
• West Bengal still enforcing cases: Indian Express reports Kolkata’s 24 July march left police and journalists injured; West Bengal police have registered seven FIRs and arrested 16 people aged 29–50 under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, the state’s Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Act, and BNS sections. No matching withdrawal order has been issued there. CJP’s Dedipya Ganguly said none of the organisation’s members were among those arrested and that CJP’s Kolkata role was moral support only. — The Indian Express
• Truce backdrop: Orders follow CJP’s Monday warning of renewed protest if FIRs were not withdrawn and detainees released after alleged post-truce arrests, and after the 25 July end of the Jantar Mantar sit-in once then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. — The Indian Express

What remains unverified

• News Mill date wording: One line in The News Mill’s paraphrase of Assam’s release says cases registered before 6 pm on “January 26, 2026.” Indian Express and Bihar’s published order both use 26 July 2026 as the operative cut-off. Treat January as a likely reporting typo unless Assam publishes the full order with a different date. — [unverified]
• Rajasthan “guarantee”: Das’s claim that Rajasthan will not proceed against protesters and has registered no FIRs is attributed only to CJP’s public posts in secondary coverage; no Rajasthan Home Department order was independently published in the sources above. — [unverified]
• Court calendar: How quickly Assam’s five cases are formally closed in each court, and the exact release timetable for all 13 arrestees, is not set out beyond the government’s promise to begin withdrawal “promptly.” — [unverified]