MAHARASHTRA Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has asked the home department to withdraw FIRs lodged by police against protesters involved in agitations in different parts of the state over the NEET paper leak, sources said on Tuesday. They said a majority of the demonstrations took place in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur last week. Police cases over the protests, held in solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)- led agitation in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the medical entrance exam paper leak and the July 20 police crackdown on agitators in the national capital, were related to unlawful assembly. Fadnavis, who holds the Home portfolio, has asked the department to withdraw FIRs lodged by police against the protesters in the State, said the sources.

 

A large number of students, youth and activists staged protests in different parts of the state demanding the resignation of the thenUnion Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak in May and reforms in the education sector. Most of these protests took place on July 23-24. On Monday, the CJP demanded the immediate release of protesters arrested in connection with its recent agitation over the NEET paper leak, and withdrawal of all FIRs already registered, with an assurance that no fresh cases would be filed. The CJP warned that it would resume its protest if the government failed to provide a written agreement by Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT)’s leader Aaditya Thackeray made a similar demand to withdraw FIRs/notices against those who took to streets over the NEET paper leak.