Drop charges against student protesters, state tells police chiefs

The Maharashtra home department instructed police chiefs in cities with student protests against NEET-UG paper leaks to expedite withdrawal of cases and avoid summoning students.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis directed DGP Sadanand Date to ensure no penal or legal action against young protesters.

Police will file charge sheets early to enable case withdrawal within weeks, prioritising these cases.

Cases will be referred to district- or city-level committees, bypassing the state-level committee led by information and technology minister Ashish Shelar.

Withdrawal aims to help students with visa processing and admission processes affected by pending cases.