PATNA: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday warned of launching a “massive protest movement” if students arrested during demonstrations against the NEET paper leak in Bihar are not released.He also demanded that the cases against the students be withdrawn, news agency ANI reported.Speaking to the media, Yadav expressed support for the students who participated in the protests and said opposition parties had stood behind their demands.“We hail all those students who protested against the paper leak. They have fought for their rights and for a better future. All opposition parties have supported this; almost every opposition party has backed this demand, and we have also joined this fight,” he said.
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Yadav urged the government to withdraw all cases against the students and release those who had been arrested.“I want to advise the government that if it was decided in Delhi yesterday that cases would be withdrawn, then I am not just requesting but warning the government that by tomorrow, all charges against the hundreds and thousands of students must be dropped, and they must be released. If these students are not freed, we will initiate a massive protest movement,” he said.Questioning the implementation of the agreement on withdrawing cases, the RJD leader said, “However, a significant question arises about the agreement reached yesterday concerning everyone who has been booked. Cases were filed against thousands of people across various states where these protests occurred.”“Several of our MLAs were also detained; we learned yesterday that the Mahishi MLA was picked up. Saurav, an MLA from Malli, was also taken into custody. While he was released late at night, my elder brother, Tej Pratap, was arrested and charged”, he added.Referring to the scale of the protests in Bihar, Yadav said, “Especially regarding the protests by Bihar’s students, where huge numbers took to the streets for their rights in almost every district, it proves that Bihar is the mother of democracy,” he said.Yadav said, “Hundreds, even thousands of students are still being held in custody across various districts. False cases have been filed against them under incorrect legal sections.”“Since it was agreed yesterday that the protest movement is coming to an end, all charges against the demonstrators should be dropped. However, in Bihar, people are being forcibly sent to jail,” he added.Meanwhile, Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) national president Tej Pratap Yadav has been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with a case registered against him amid the NEET-UG paper leak controversy.Jagannath Singh, counsel for Tej Pratap Yadav, said a bail plea could be moved on Monday and alleged there had been irregularities in the process leading to his arrest, ANI reported.Tej Pratap Yadav was detained by Bihar Police on Saturday after joining students protesting over the NEET paper leak during the Bihar Bandh in Patna.(With agency inputs)
