In the days after the 20 July 2026 police action on student protesters in Delhi, students held solidarity protests across India demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak. In Chennai, police repeatedly detained SFI and DYFI members, including at Egmore on 22 July. In Ahmedabad, more than 100 people were detained outside Gujarat University on 22 July. In Nagaon, Assam, nine students were detained at the Clock Tower on 23 July. Police in each place said the protests lacked permission; students and Left parties called it suppression of peaceful dissent.
Key takeaways
- Chennai police detained SFI and DYFI members protesting near Rajarathinam Stadium in Egmore on 22 July 2026. CPI(M) state secretary P. Shanmugam said activists had been repeatedly detained and released over three days and that police entered colleges to detain students.
- In Ahmedabad, police detained more than 100 mostly young protesters outside Gujarat University on 22 July, saying they had no permission. About 150 had been detained on 20 July.
- In Nagaon, Assam, the CPI said police detained nine students, including student leader Birinchi Bora, at a protest at the Clock Tower on 23 July, and some students alleged they were pulled by their collars and hair.
- We found no reports of injuries or FIRs from these three cities.
Background
On 20 July 2026, police in Delhi used lathi charges, tear gas and pellet rounds to stop the Cockroach Janta Party's march on Parliament. See Police action at the 20 July march. Solidarity protests followed in many states. On 28 July the Supreme Court noted petitions alleging police excesses in protests that spread from Delhi to Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, West Bengal and Kerala. Open
Chennai, 20 to 22 July
Police detained members of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) during a protest near Rajarathinam Stadium in Egmore on 22 July. They were demanding Pradhan's resignation over the NEET leak. DT Next Student leaders also criticised police for detaining demonstrators in Madurai and Mayiladuthurai, and asked why Tamil Nadu has no designated protest venue like Jantar Mantar. Police detained activists in Coimbatore too. DT Next
Claim · CPI(M) State secretary P. Shanmugam said SFI and DYFI activists had been prevented from holding sit-ins in Chennai "over the past three days" and repeatedly detained and released. He alleged police entered colleges in Tiruvottiyur, R.K. Nagar and Perambur, and in other districts, to detain students boycotting classes, and accused the TVK government of curbing protests while itself demanding NEET's abolition. DT Next We found no police or government response to these allegations.
Not every protest was broken up. A round-the-clock sit-in at the CPI's Balan Illam office in T. Nagar, which began with eight people, grew to what organisers said were 500 to 600 students and youth by its third day. DT Next
Ahmedabad, 20 and 22 July
On the evening of 22 July a large crowd of young people, many of them college students, gathered outside Gujarat University and raised slogans against the Centre. Some carried banners reading "system failed, not students", and some handed flowers to police. ThePrint (PTI)
Police position "More than 100 protesters were detained as they didn't have police permission to stage a demonstration," said Additional Commissioner of Police Neeraj Kumar Badgujar. On 20 July, 150 protesters had been detained in Ahmedabad, and similar protests were held in Surat, Junagadh and Bhavnagar. ThePrint (PTI)
Nagaon, Assam, 23 July
Students gathered at Nagaon's Clock Tower on Thursday 23 July in solidarity with the national movement over the NEET paper leak. Police took them into custody. The Sentinel
Claim · CPI Nagaon district committee The party said nine students, including student leader Birinchi Bora, were detained and "dragged" to Nagaon Sadar police station and treated "like hardened criminals". Some students alleged police pulled them by their collars and hair. CPI district secretaries Ratul Bora and Gobin Nath urged police to act impartially and not under political influence. The Sentinel No response from Nagaon Police was reported.
What the footage shows
Claim · circulating videos A few short clips from these cities have circulated online. Going by their captions, they show these kinds of incidents. We have not verified each clip, and captions are not findings of fact.
- Chennai, dated 21 July: police forcibly dragging and detaining protesters.
- Ahmedabad, 22 July: police detaining student protesters, singly and in groups.
- Nagaon, 23 July: police lathi-charging student protesters, and forcibly dragging and detaining them.
The detentions match the reports above. In Chennai, reports describe detentions over 20 to 22 July, so the clip dates fall within that period. We found no news report of a lathi charge in Nagaon; the CPI's statement describes students being dragged and pulled by their collars and hair.
Protesters' account
Students and Left parties say they were holding peaceful solidarity protests and were detained for exercising a democratic right. In Ahmedabad some handed flowers to police. In Nagaon and Chennai, the CPI and CPI(M) accuse police of rough handling and of entering campuses. DT Next The Sentinel
Police account
In Ahmedabad, police said the protesters were detained because they had no permission to demonstrate. No statements from Chennai or Nagaon police were found in the reports we read. ThePrint (PTI)
Outcome
- Releases: The CPI(M) says Chennai activists were repeatedly detained and then released. DT Next
- Cases and injuries: We found no reports of FIRs or injuries from these three cities.
- Supreme Court: On 28 July the court ordered all states to release detained minors and students without criminal antecedents. Open
Questions people ask
Why were protesters detained in Ahmedabad on 22 July 2026?
Police said more than 100 people were detained outside Gujarat University because they had no permission to protest. They were demanding the Education Minister's resignation.
What happened to SFI protesters in Chennai?
Police detained SFI and DYFI members near Rajarathinam Stadium on 22 July. The CPI(M) says activists were repeatedly detained and released over three days.
Who was detained in Nagaon?
The CPI says nine students, including student leader Birinchi Bora, were detained at the Clock Tower on 23 July and taken to Nagaon Sadar police station.
Sources
- DT Next: SFI, DYFI workers detained in Chennai during anti-NEET protest, 22 Jul 2026
- DT Next: Protests against the NEET controversy escalate across TN, 22 Jul 2026
- ThePrint (PTI): More than 100 people detained in Ahmedabad, 22 Jul 2026
- DT Next: CPM accuses TN cops of mirroring Delhi crackdown, 23 Jul 2026
- DT Next: Jai Bhim, Inquilab Zindabad echo through T Nagar, 23 Jul 2026
- The Sentinel: CPI condemns Nagaon police over detention of student protesters, 25 Jul 2026
- Open: Supreme Court orders release of minors held in NEET protest crackdown, 28 Jul 2026