Protest marches over the alleged NEET paper leak and demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation continued in several districts of Bihar on Thursday (July 23, 2026).

Also read | Jantar Mantar protests updates on July 23

Police resorted to baton charge after protesters pelted stones in Katihar and Begusarai. Initially, a peaceful protest was underway; however, it turned violent when some protesters tried to break the main gate of the District Magistrate (DM) office. Then the police tried to stop them, and a scuffle ensued, and the situation became tense.

The protesters tried to attack the Collectorate offices, and several attempts were made to break the main gate. Additional force was called to control the crowd, and the entire area was turned into a police cantonment.

Katihar District Magistrate Ashutosh Dwivedi and Superintendent of Police Parichay Kumar organised a flag march in the city to maintain law and order after the stone pelting in which several police as well as protesters were injured.

Appeal to students

“There is a constitutional way for any protest, and they can put forward their demands in a proper way. However, those who will take the law into their own hands and will try to vandalise public property, strict action would be taken against them. I will appeal to all the students and children not to get engaged in any illegal activities,“ Mr. Dwivedi said.

He said some anti-social elements were present among the crowd, which resorted to stone pelting, and they were being identified through photography and videography done by the police.

In Begusarai, protesters climbed on the gate of the DM office and attempted to go inside, but the police appealed to them to step down; they refused to do so, after which the police resorted to a baton charge to disperse the crowd, in which several protesters fell, sustaining injuries.

In Bhagalpur and Darbhanga districts, protesters raised the paper leak issue, and resorted to stone pelting. Senior officials, including Darbhanga Deputy Inspector General of Police Manoj Tiwari, DM Kaushal Kumar and Senior Superintendent of Police Jagunath Reddy, went to the spot to control the situation.

Protest marches were carried out by students in Patna, Munger, Sheikhpura and Vaishali districts as well.

Block the road

In Patna, the protestors blocked the road, asserting that Mr. Pradhan must take moral responsibility for the alleged NEET paper leak and tender his resignation. The Bihar Police have lodged several First Information Reports (FIRs) against more than 600 unidentified protesters for vandalising public properties during Wednesday’s protest march, in which several police personnel got injured. Police have also detained more than 40 students in Patna alone.

Members of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) staged a protest in Patna in support of the students at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

Extending support to the student movement, AIPWA National General Secretary Meena Tiwari said the entire nation witnessed the police’s misconduct towards women during the lathi-charge at Jantar Mantar.

AIPWA National Vice President Manju Prakash alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party government shielded rapists and welcomed them with garlands, and simultaneously it unleashed violence on students and women demanding justice, which was a shameful act.

Published - July 23, 2026 07:44 pm IST