Family members of students who were arrested and jailed in the wee hours of Monday (July 27, 2026) in connection with the July 25 Bihar Bandh have appealed for their release. They said rioters who vandalised public property have escaped and innocent students have been arrested. The strike was called in support of the Jantar Mantar protest demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Education Minister.
Police have booked 144 students and 5,000 unidentified persons in Patna under different Sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including attempt to murder 109 (1).
Prince Kumar, a resident of Begusarai, said his younger brother Piyush Kumar was wrongfully arrested by the Gandhi Maidan police. “I have no idea under what charges he has been arrested. At 3 a.m., he was sent to jail. He was not even part of the protest. He went to purchase books near Gandhi Maidan, and police picked him up from there. He is a student of RCCS College Bihat, Begusarai,“ he said.
Mr. Kumar added that he has an exam for the post of an assistant sub-inspector on Tuesday (July 28) in Patna and cannot focus on it with his brother in jail. Their father is a farmer, he said.
Mohammad Rashid, a resident of the Kankarbagh locality, said his cousin Mohammad Shariq Quraishi was arrested at a petrol pump. He said Mr. Quraishi was not part of the protest and was trying to leave the area after the clash between the police and protesters broke out. “On July 25, police did not inform us where my cousin was taken to. The next day, I received a call from Kankarbagh police station. When I went there, they asked me to visit Gandhi Maidan police station, but I did not find him there,” Mr. Rashid said.
He said that he came to know from news reports that all the arrested protesters were taken to the civil court. “I went to the court and found him [Mr. Quraishi] sitting in a police van,” Mr. Rashid said.
The police have also arrested a student named Abhishek Jha in Begusarai under Veerpur police station. His mother, Vibha Devi, is in a state of shock. His father, Sontosh Kumar Jha, said: “My son is not a criminal. The police have arrested him for no reason. I urge Bihar Police to release him.”
Disha Students’ Organisation members Ajit Kumar and Varuni, who have been charged in 11 FIRs, are absconding. Another activist, Ashish Kumar, was produced before the magistrate after 48 hours of detention and sent to jail.
Apart from Gandhi Maidan, police detained students from Rajeev Nagar, Rupaspur, Digha, Kankarbagh, and Airport limits. The arrested had included minor and female students.
‘91 police officers injured’
Bihar Police Headquarters said that 694 individuals were taken into custody across the State during the agitation on July 25. Among those detained, 339 minors and students were released following verification, and 355 individuals involved in violent incidents have been produced before the court.
It said 91 police officers and personnel sustained injuries, including the Superintendents of Police of Siwan and Sitamarhi, two Sub-Divisional Police Officers and several Station House Officers. Fourteen government vehicles were damaged, and one was set on fire. Thirteen civilians were also injured, it said.
Lawyers come to aid
Several lawyers are working to facilitate the release of students. Patna High Court advocate Pooja Kishore said police officials were not cooperative and violated basic rights by not producing the arrested persons before a magistrate within 24 hours.
“I have applied for bail as most of them have been illegally arrested. The arrested students were denied the opportunity to meet lawyers, and this evening the police shared the FIR copies. Students from vulnerable backgrounds, including many who have not even been involved in protests, are facing humiliation for over 48 hours. Last night, police released the minor and female students, but still 85 of the 144 have been sent to Beur jail,” Ms. Kishore told The Hindu.
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) wrote on X, urging Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary to drop criminal cases against protesters as per the Delhi agreement. Neha Bora, the national president of the All India Students Association, was in Patna and demanded the release of the students.
Published – July 28, 2026 12:25 am IST
