The paper leaked. The students are still waiting.

Since the march

Occasional dated updates as reported developments warrant — one entry per development, each sourced. Not a live feed; the record that follows stands as of July 20.

Aug 24

Amnesty says it verified police use of pellet shotguns and a shock baton on July 20

Amnesty International said its Evidence Lab had verified 17 videos from central Delhi documenting the force used around the July 20 march. It said the footage showed a Rapid Action Force officer firing a shotgun into the crowd near Connaught Place, protesters with wounds consistent with birdshot — one with 25 to 30 pellet wounds — and an RAF officer using an electric shock baton on a peaceful protester. Amnesty said the weapons were deployed in breach of international standards and domestic policing guidelines. The findings run against the Delhi Police affidavit of Aug 18, which called the force graded and proportionate and said it followed protester violence. The investigation spanned both Delhi and Bihar.

Aug 21

A month on, Delhi Police register the first FIR over the July 20 pellet firing

Delhi Police registered an FIR over the use of pellet guns on protesters during the July 20 march, under Sections 118(1) and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, against unidentified persons. The complainant, Sahil Lochab, 19, lost vision in one eye; in his complaint he said over 200 pellets remained in his body, and that several police stations had refused to register it over the past month. It was registered after a day-long sit-in outside the DCP’s office by the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi. This is a complaint about the police action, not a case against protesters, so it does not bear on the promised withdrawal of protesters’ FIRs. The firing itself was already recorded in a police CRPF inquiry.

Aug 20

The Supreme Court formally constitutes the enquiry committee into the protest policing

The Court constituted the high-powered enquiry committee it had signalled on Aug 18, chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice R. Subhash Reddy, with Justice Ravi Shankar Jha (former Chief Justice, Punjab & Haryana High Court), Justice Shalinder Kaur (former Delhi High Court judge), former CBI director Rishi Kumar Shukla, and retired Meghalaya DGP L.R. Bishnoi. Its remit spans excessive force — pellet guns, shock batons, lathis and tear gas — surveillance of protesters, the alleged molestation of women protesters (to be taken up on priority), compensation, and the misuse of prohibitory orders, alongside violence against police and damage to property. The Court asked it to weigh banning pellet-type projectiles, and to report its findings periodically rather than once.

Aug 18

The Supreme Court says it will quash the FIRs against student protesters

The Supreme Court said it would invoke Article 142 to quash the FIRs registered against students who joined the NEET-UG protests, and asked for a list of the cases naming only students. Chief Justice Surya Kant said FIRs involving people with serious criminal antecedents would be decided separately. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre and Delhi Police, said the investigation would be confined to 2,873 people identified as having serious criminal records — "the rest are students". Petitioners' counsel Vrinda Grover told the court the Delhi Police had still not disclosed the FIR numbers, despite promising no action against peaceful protesters. Nothing has been quashed yet — the court sought the list first, and said its order would follow on Aug 19. The government itself has withdrawn no case.

Aug 18

The Supreme Court moves to set up an independent committee on the police action

The Supreme Court said it would constitute a high-powered committee to examine all the issues arising from the NEET-UG protests, including the police action on July 20. The proposed panel would comprise a former Supreme Court judge, a retired High Court Chief Justice and a retired DGP-rank police officer; the Bench said it had already obtained the consent of a former CBI director and a retired State DGP. The court said the committee would examine allegations of police excess, the alleged sexual molestation of women protesters — to be looked into urgently for further legal action — online harassment, and protocols governing the use of force during protests. Petitioners asked that a woman be included on the panel. The formal order is due Aug 19.

Aug 18

Delhi Police acknowledge facial recognition at the July 20 protest, and do not address the pellet firing

In a counter-affidavit for the hearing, Delhi Police acknowledged deploying facial-recognition surveillance during the July 20 march, calling it a proportionate measure in "legitimate State interest" that targeted people with serious criminal records rather than monitoring peaceful protesters indiscriminately. The affidavit defends the day's policing as graded and proportionate — about 5,000 officers against 30,000-plus protesters, with 240-plus police and roughly 200 protesters injured — and calls the unpermitted march an "unlawful assembly". Notably, it does not address the RAF's use of pellet guns — injuries from which hospital RTIs put at at least 10, and a CRPF inquiry attributed to the RAF. It also denies that officers manhandled women or used nail-studded lathis.

Aug 10

Hospital RTI replies put July 20 pellet injuries at 10, double the earlier count

RTI responses from two Delhi hospitals — Lady Hardinge Medical College (nine) and Safdarjung (one) — show at least 10 people were injured by pellets during the July 20 march, roughly double the five previously documented. The replies were obtained through RTI by a Trinamool Congress spokesperson; hospital sources confirmed their authenticity, and The Tribune independently reported the same figures. Responses from AIIMS and RML, where other injured were taken, are still awaited. The count deepens what the record already carries — an internal CRPF inquiry found the RAF fired pellet rounds on July 20 — even as Delhi Police maintain they used no pellet guns.

Aug 7

Meta steps up removal of protest content in India

After meetings between Meta's leadership and the Union government, posts and reels tied to the CJP protest began being blocked in India at a faster pace under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act — content from CJP spokesperson Saurav Das and protest creators among them. Newslaundry documented July–20 protest footage geo-restricted under such a notice. The government's stated concern is Instagram's algorithm amplifying anti-establishment content ahead of the protests; critics say the Sahyog route is a parallel takedown system without Section 69A's safeguards, and that Meta is removing content it is not legally required to. Meta did not respond to the Hindu's request for comment. CJP called the blocking unconstitutional (recorded as CJP's). The mechanism itself faces a Supreme Court hearing on Aug 10, where the Bench may rule on the portal's legality.

Aug 3

The Supreme Court clarifies that states may withdraw the cases against protesters

The Supreme Court clarified that its July 28 order does not stop Delhi or any other state from closing or withdrawing the FIRs against student protesters, provided it is done through the proper legal process. It narrowed the earlier protection: those accused of serious offences, including rape, are not covered. The court set out the route — the FIRs are to be identified and classified first, after which police may file closure reports under Section 193 of the BNSS or prosecutors may apply to withdraw prosecution, and it could enable the process once the two sides agree on which cases qualify. The Solicitor General told the court the government was “serious” about its amnesty assurance. No case has been withdrawn; the matter is listed again for August 18.

Jul 31

A woman is charged over remarks about the Prime Minister

Uttar Pradesh police registered a zero FIR against Ruchika Singh, a Noida resident, on a complaint alleging she used abusive language about the Prime Minister. The case was transferred toward Parliament Street police station in Delhi. Delhi's DCP (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma said it had not yet reached him: "We will decide the course of action once we get it." CJP called it an unacceptable use of criminal machinery over profanity.

Jul 31

Women identified with the protest are doxxed and threatened

An account identifying itself with the BJP's Uttar Pradesh social media unit sought FIRs against three women shown in a video. Another account called on the Bajrang Dal to "teach her a lesson", naming a protest organiser who had held a 23-day hunger strike, and has posted images of protesters seeking their identification since July 23. Phone numbers and addresses have circulated alongside some posts. A 19-year-old protester said she deleted her accounts after a video of her spread. Researcher Aparajita Bharti said Indian law does not clearly define doxxing, leaving it "legally in a grey area".

Jul 31

The anti-paper-leak bill becomes law

The President assented to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill on July 31, after the Rajya Sabha passed it on July 30 amid an opposition walkout and the Lok Sabha on July 29. It is now the Amendment Act, 2026, and comes into force on a date the Central Government notifies. The law raises penalties for paper leaks and creates fast-track courts — tougher punishment and quicker trials, not a change to how exams are secured or administered.

Jul 30

Delhi orders no further action against protesters

Delhi's Home Department ordered that no adverse legal action be taken against people involved in the protests, with the same carve-out the Supreme Court set for those with criminal antecedents. Existing arrests and detentions are to be reviewed and released "expeditiously," and the matter treated as closed. This is not the same as formally withdrawing the FIRs already registered against protesters, which still requires a closure report or a prosecutor's withdrawal application, either way subject to a judge's approval.

Jul 30

The Supreme Court hears the pellet-gun petition

A former IPS officer and two protesters injured on July 20 petitioned for a ban on metallic pellet guns in civilian crowd control. Their counsel said no public Delhi Police order permitting pellet use could be found, and that a 2016 police-research document was obtained only through the Right to Information Act. The bench observed that existing regulations permit pellet guns in exceptional circumstances, called the ban as framed too broad, and asked that it be narrowed.

Jul 30

The court orders the RAF's ammunition log preserved

The bench ordered the RAF's ammunition log preserved and directed the Delhi government to provide treatment to the injured petitioners. The Solicitor General agreed to place the government's crowd-control regulations on record, and the matter was adjourned for that. Justice Bagchi said police need protective rather than offensive equipment, and that "everyone is a human being," while noting the risk of bad-faith actors hijacking a genuine protest. On August 3 the court directed the Centre to file affidavits on the pellet firing and deferred the composition of a judge-led probe to August 18, and said it would frame a protocol on pellet use.

Jul 30

The promise not to prosecute protesters was broken in several states, then partly reversed

Detentions continued after the assurance that ended the protest. In Delhi, about 400 people were detained over three days in one district alone under Section 163. In Assam, West Bengal and Bihar, CJP said it was "deeply concerned" by reports of arrests and set a deadline for a written guarantee. Bihar's Home Department then confirmed at least 300 arrests, and Assam 13; both states announced they would withdraw cases and release those held before 6pm on July 26. A later tally put the totals at more than 300 in Bihar, 13 in Assam and 16 in West Bengal.

Jul 30

Two cases show how unevenly the assurance was applied

In Prayagraj, a 21-year-old identified from a protest photograph says he was held over a day, beaten in custody and wrongly accused of vandalism. An officer at the Prayagraj DCP's office denied it: "Nobody has been detained." In Bhagalpur, a 17-year-old detained from home at 3:45am was produced before the juvenile justice board and has since been released; police there also withdrew photographs of 155 people circulated for identification.

Jul 29

AI-morphed images target women identified with the protest

ThePrint reports that accounts on social media have been circulating cropped, AI-altered images of young women associated with the movement, with captions such as "Find her. She abused Prime Minister Narendra Modi." Rhiya Yadav Ahir, known for stopping a police vehicle during the Mumbai leg of the protests, has filed a complaint alleging cyberbullying. Delhi Police sent notices to accounts directing them to delete posts it deems abusive or illegal toward the Prime Minister and senior leaders.

Jul 29

The Lok Sabha clears the paper-leak bill

The Lok Sabha passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 by voice vote, amid continuing opposition protests over the alleged police action against students. The bill has not yet become law: it goes to the Rajya Sabha, then needs presidential assent. As passed, it sets five to ten years and fines to ₹50 lakh for individuals, and a minimum of seven years and fines to ₹10 crore for organised rackets. It requires investigations within two months and trials within three months of the chargesheet.

Jul 28

The Supreme Court restrains police action against protesters, orders minors released

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant ordered that no coercive action be taken against protesters named in FIRs, except those with criminal antecedents, and directed the immediate release of all detained minors. The FIRs themselves were not stayed; investigation continues. As an interim measure the court ordered CCTV, drone and related evidence preserved nationwide, and issued notices to the Centre, Delhi and seven state governments.

Jul 28

The court says an independent probe may be needed, but does not order one

The bench said the material prima facie justified an independent probe into both police excesses and attacks on police, noting allegations of pellet guns, nail-embedded lathis and rubber bullets, and remarked that "whosoever committed excesses… should be taken to task." The Solicitor General said the government did not object to a probe in principle, but opposed the petitioners' proposed members. Reports differed on the mechanism discussed — a high-powered committee or an SIT. He also submitted that the violence may have been caused by "anti-social elements" who infiltrated the protests. The matter was listed for August 3.

Jul 28

Two further petitions are taken up

The same batch included a plea from Junaid Malik, a food volunteer, alleging he was picked up by police near midnight on July 24 while returning from a hospital visit, and a petition seeking a national protocol for the safety of journalists covering protests, citing assaults and destroyed equipment at Jantar Mantar.

Jul 26

An internal inquiry finds pellets were fired

A CRPF probe opened July 24 found an RAF jawan fired at least seven pellet rounds at Connaught Place on July 20, five of which hit protesters, per a report first carried by the Indian Express. Neither force publicly confirmed or denied it. An RAF official said anonymously that pellets are never fired without a magistrate's authorisation.

Jul 26

Four people are found with pellet-like wounds above the waist

Newslaundry documented at least four people with pellet-like wounds concentrated above the waist — eyes, face, neck, shoulders, chest, arms and back — including a 19-year-old who may permanently lose vision in one eye. Video from that afternoon shows a man in RAF uniform firing a pump-action shotgun at Connaught Place. One of the injured, Shaikh Irshad Mansoori, underwent two surgeries to remove pellet fragments from near a nerve in his neck and the muscle of his left eye, and has since petitioned the Supreme Court.

Jul 26 · evening

A task force on exam reform, led by Nandan Nilekani

In a video message, the Prime Minister announced a task force on examination reform headed by Nandan Nilekani, saying the examination system needs to be reliable and transparent and to make maximum use of technology. He said the task force would submit a report on which the government would act, and pointed to people already in jail, the fast-track courts, and the legislation going to Parliament. Members are reported to include the former ISRO chief and the director of IIT Madras. Nilekani co-founded Infosys and built the Aadhaar system as chairman of UIDAI. The announcement set out no terms of reference and no date by which the task force is to report.

Jul 26

Police say the FIRs are likely to be withdrawn, and decline three questions

Delhi Police are likely to withdraw all FIRs registered over the agitation, officials said. DCP (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma: "The official communication is yet to come, but the FIRs are likely to be withdrawn now." He declined to comment on the alleged use of excessive force on July 20, on officers in plain clothes without badges, and on allegations that women were harassed.

Jul 26

The FIR count is higher than the courts were told

Another officer put the total at at least 15 FIRs, carrying charges including attempt to murder, rioting and causing hurt, plus 22 more over pickpocketing — against the nine recorded in court on July 22. Separately, DCP (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said AI-generated deepfake videos were circulating, including of Sonam Wangchuk and an Army Lieutenant-General.

Jul 25 · night

The resignation is accepted; the education portfolio goes to Pralhad Joshi as additional charge

President Droupadi Murmu accepted Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation on the Prime Minister's advice, and gave the education portfolio to Union Minister Pralhad Joshi as additional charge. Joshi, a Lok Sabha MP from Dharwad in Karnataka, keeps his existing ministries — consumer affairs, food and public distribution, and new and renewable energy — and will hold education until further orders, per the communique from the President's office. No full-time replacement has been named.

Jul 25 · evening

CJP calls off the protest

CJP withdrew its sit-in and its protests nationwide, with immediate effect, after a third round of talks with Union Ministers Nadda and Jitendra Singh. Spokesperson Saurav Das said the party withdrew "in good faith and understanding that the agreed-upon terms will be executed within the agreed-upon timeline". The two sides are to meet again in about four weeks on CJP's five-point reform charter.

Jul 25 · evening

What the government agreed to, and what had happened by then

The government agreed to withdraw the police cases against student protesters and to compensate the families of students who died by suicide. CJP said it would receive copies of the FIRs — 15 to 20 in Delhi, by its own count — within three or four days, with withdrawal to follow. None of it had been carried out at the time of the announcement.

Jul 25

Pradhan resigns as Education Minister

Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on July 25, sending his resignation to the Prime Minister; the government's own broadcaster confirmed it. In a letter he said he was stepping down so the country's youth would not become "trapped in a web of confusion," and that "the future of even a single student should not get entangled in legal complications." He had held the portfolio since July 2021. It was the demand CJP had held to since the sit-in began.

Jul 25

The RAF's chief tells commanders the force used on July 20 fell short of its own standards

The RAF's Inspector General, Seema Dhundhia, told commanders on July 22 that the "excessive use of force" at Jantar Mantar was not justified and that force must be graded. An officer quoted in the report said the gradation used "did not align with prescribed standards or the RAF's training protocols." The meeting followed videos of personnel knocking down and assaulting protesters who had disengaged. The account rests on unnamed officers; the finding concerns how force was applied, not the pellet allegations.

Jul 25

Pellet guns are barred from the Delhi deployment, going forward

Force headquarters prohibited pellet guns, electric weapons and electric shields for the Delhi deployment, and barred sending personnel from special operations zones into the field without crowd-control training. This applies going forward and is not an acknowledgment about July 20. Delhi Police repeat they do not have pellet guns; neither the CRPF nor the RAF has said whether pellets were fired.

Jul 25

A constable is suspended after an AK-47 is fired at a protest in Bihar

During a state-wide Bihar Bandh over the NEET leak and the police action on protesters, a widely shared video from Siwan appeared to show a police constable firing an AK-47 toward students — footage the outlet said it had not independently verified. Bihar Police headquarters suspended the constable and began departmental proceedings, and the Siwan SP said there had been clear instructions not to open fire. Three people were hospitalised with bullet injuries and are stable — among them a 15-year-old struck in the neck, his family says, while heading home from his shop, the bullet removed in surgery. Police say the constable fired into the air and that no one was hit by the rounds.

Jul 24

The CRPF asks the RAF to account for July 20

The CRPF asked the head of its riot-control unit to account for what its teams did on July 20, including allegations of disproportionate force and pellet fire. No formal inquiry was ordered; officials said one would follow only if the check found grounds. The unit is also reviewing footage of its own personnel being surrounded and attacked, a video of a uniformed man tripping a running protester, and one where a shock-emitting weapon appears to be used.

Jul 24 · evening

Talks resume; the government asks for another day on the resignation

The two sides met for about two hours. CJP said afterwards that Pradhan's resignation is "non-negotiable" and that the government asked for time until Saturday afternoon. Union Minister J P Nadda said the meeting covered three main demands and five suggestions on exam reform, and that the two sides would meet again on Saturday. CJP says the government agreed in principle to two things — compensation for the families of students who died by suicide, and withdrawal of cases against protesters — and is also asking, in a letter handed over at the meeting, for ₹1 crore per family and a public apology from the Centre, the head of the RAF and the Delhi Police Commissioner to students it says were beaten on July 20. The meeting was held at Vithalbhai Patel House — not the Constitution Club venue CJP named that morning.

Jul 24

Supreme Court will hear the police-force cases on Monday

The Supreme Court agreed to hear two petitions about police action against student protesters, listing them for July 27 before a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant. Lawyers told the court the cases had now been formally filed and numbered; one said police action was continuing and that "the court stands between us and the police." One of the petitions asks for rules on how police handle protests — including a ban on plainclothes officers in crowd control, limits on the use of prohibitory orders, and an independent inquiry into July 20.

Jul 24

Chief Justice: no case was ever filed on July 22

The Chief Justice called reports that he had refused to hear a petition on the July 20 police action "completely false" and "reckless", saying what had reached him was a letter, not a petition, and a letter cannot be treated as one. "Till morning 10 AM, not a single page has been filed," he said. What he told the lawyer who raised it on July 22, as recorded by LiveLaw at the time: "Don't waste our time, don't waste your time," and, when offered videos of the police action, "We are not interested in videos; we don't have time to watch." This site's July 22 entry has been corrected accordingly.

Jul 24

Cabinet clears a paper-leak bill; 47 NTA officials sacked

Just after midnight, the Prime Minister said in a video message that a bill on paper leaks would go to Parliament next week, and posted separately that fast-track courts would be set up. The Cabinet approved the draft on Friday. Reported terms, per Times of India sources: up to ten years in jail, fines up to ₹10 crore, and a minimum sentence raised from three years to five. Separately, officials say 47 National Testing Agency officials have been terminated and criminal action will follow against some, as part of an overhaul of the agency — a day after the Higher Education Secretary was moved to another ministry.

Jul 24

A legal group takes the internet shutdowns to court

Software Freedom Law Center, India asked the Delhi High Court to strike down the orders cutting mobile internet within 1.5 km of Jantar Mantar, arguing they simply repeat the phrases "public safety" and "public emergency" without saying what the actual danger was. The petition counts six orders, dated July 17, 20, 22 and 23 — three more than this site has been able to find and link — and asks that any future order be published as soon as it is made. The court allowed an urgent hearing but the case could not be listed in time because of defects in the paperwork. chalosansad has located three of the signed suspension orders on the Home Ministry’s site — July 20, July 22–23 and July 23, each issued under Section 20(2)(b) of the Telecommunication Act 2023; none was published where the public would find it, and it does not appear on the ministry’s own notices page — each had to be found by searching the site directly.

Jul 24

Court won't order a national-agency inquiry into the march

A petition asked for the National Investigation Agency to investigate the July 20 march, alleging it was an attempt to breach security near Parliament. The High Court said that decision belongs to the central government, not the court — "we can't substitute our satisfaction to the satisfaction of the Central government." The government's own senior law officer then told the petitioner to withdraw, and he did, with permission to pursue other remedies.

Jul 24

Government agrees to talks at a neutral venue

CJP says the government has agreed to hold talks today at a neutral venue, the Constitution Club of India, per CJP spokesperson Saurav Das — while reiterating its demands, including Pradhan's resignation. In the event, the meeting was held at Vithalbhai Patel House.

Jul 23–24

Universities tell students to stay away from Jantar Mantar

JNU asked students, faculty and staff to "refrain from participating in or visiting gatherings at or around Jantar Mantar", citing Supreme Court directions on demonstrations, and warned that violations may bring legal consequences and university discipline. Delhi University issued a similar advisory on July 23, and the Association of Indian Universities, IIT Roorkee and IIT Madras have issued their own. IIT Roorkee says the notice circulating in its name was a routine one issued at the start of every session and taken out of context.

Jul 23–24

Section 163 is used to stop people short of the protest

Prohibitory orders under BNSS Section 163 have been in force across New Delhi since July 20, tied to the Parliament session. Police said about 400 people were detained for unlawful assembly over three days in the South East district alone, around 150 of them on July 25. The Wire’s reporters saw police stopping autorickshaws carrying students without telling them why — and a pair headed to a museum stopped and questioned before being let go, though the section restricts assembly of five or more, not individual transit.

Jul 23–24

Facial recognition is deployed at the protest site

Police sources say four facial-recognition units were placed around Jantar Mantar, linked to the police database to identify wanted persons, not ordinary protesters, and call it a standard measure, rejecting as “incorrect” the claim the cameras are there to watch protesters. Police later said they had identified at least 2,500 people through the system, and that screening of 2,873 people at the site found more than 980 with previous records — figures that are police-sourced and unverified. ThePrint’s reporters described surveillance vans, drones and officers in AI glasses with built-in facial recognition; a reporter covering it found her own face on the police monitor. Claims the system is linked to Aadhaar are unconfirmed.

Jul 23 · night

Wangchuk ends his 26-day fast

Wangchuk broke his fast in the presence of Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, saying it followed long negotiations and 65 MPs urging him to stop. His team said the assurances included that families of students who died by suicide "will be given adequate compensation" and that no cases would be registered against peaceful protesters. The government's statement the same day, carried in the same report, says it is "positive on not registering cases" and "positively considering suitable compensation." CJP continues to press its demands, including the education minister's resignation.

Jul 23

Connaught Place shops ordered shut by 6:30 pm

The New Delhi Traders Association directs all shops, offices and restaurants in Connaught Place to close by 6:30 pm, citing telephonic advice from NDMC officials given the "critical situation" around CP. The order came from the traders' body and NDMC, not directly from Delhi Police.

Jul 23

CJP calls for protests in every district on July 24

CJP called for peaceful demonstrations in every district on July 24, under the slogan "Every District. One Day. One Demand," asking student organisations and unions to organise locally in support of those injured in the July 20 police action.

Jul 22 · night

Stones at Tolstoy Marg; police say five personnel injured

Delhi Police say that at around 8:30 pm near Tolstoy Marg, people attacked police with stones and bottles, injuring an ACP, and that another was hit by a stone at Jantar Mantar earlier — five personnel injured in all. The claims are the police's.

Jul 22 · night

A second internet suspension order, overnight into Jul 23

An MHA order published on the ministry's website directs mobile internet suspended from 6 pm on July 22 to 6 am on July 23 within a 1.5 km radius of Jantar Mantar — a second, separate order from the one issued the following afternoon. The Wire reported that evening unconfirmed reports of services being cut.

Jul 22–23

Pellet-injury reports emerge; Delhi Police deny using pellet guns

A 25-year-old injured on July 20 and treated at Lady Hardinge tells Outlook that doctors told him the fragments removed from his face and neck were pellets, one of them lodged near the muscle controlling his left eye's movement; per a source privy to his treatment, two surgeries removed pellet remnants from his neck and eye. He says his sight is unaffected. A second protester — a 19-year-old operated on at AIIMS's trauma centre on July 21 — may lose vision in his right eye, his family says; doctors, per the family, put the chance of it returning at one per cent. Delhi Police deny using pellet guns, calling the claims false and misleading.

Jul 22

A senior officer is removed after a slap on video

A video widely shared online shows Additional DCP Sandeep Lamba slapping at a woman near the Parliament complex during the march. Delhi Police removed him from duty at Jantar Mantar. An unnamed DCP-rank officer said the act was done in the "spur of the moment" and that the officer "lost cool and committed the act". The incident was raised at a Delhi High Court hearing.

Jul 22

Police order all personnel into uniform with badges

After criticism of officers policing the march in plain clothes — personnel from special teams, police sources said — Delhi Police instructed all personnel to be present in uniform, with badges and insignias.

Jul 22

Two courts decline to intervene, for now

The Delhi High Court dismisses a PIL seeking a declaration that Wangchuk's July 18 removal was illegal, noting his wife's plea on the issue had been addressed — the court had on Tuesday permitted his shifting from Safdarjung to Medanta Hospital — and that the petitioner could approach the authorities for the FIR he sought. The same day, a lawyer raised the police action orally before a Supreme Court bench led by the Chief Justice, who declined to take it up and said the court would not watch the videos offered. Corrected July 24: this entry previously described that as the Supreme Court declining to intervene in a filed case. The Chief Justice has since said no petition existed — only a letter. See the July 24 entry above.

Jul 22

Wangchuk sets one condition to end his fast

In a letter to Union Ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh, Sonam Wangchuk writes that he will end his hunger strike on one unequivocal assurance: that no student who marched on July 20 faces legal action or harassment. Absent that, he writes, the fast continues indefinitely. The letter records verbal ministerial assurances, including that compensation for families of students who died by suicide will be positively considered. The same day, CJP declined a proposal to meet Nadda at his residence, proposing Jantar Mantar or a neutral venue nearby instead.

Jul 22

High Court seeks answers on the force used; orders all footage preserved

The Delhi High Court issues notice to the Centre and Delhi Police on petitions alleging excessive force during the July 20 march, gives four weeks for replies, and directs that all relevant records — CCTV footage and videography included — be preserved under the police's own SOP. The bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia expresses no opinion yet on the allegations or the videos' authenticity, and lists the matter for September 11. In court, petitioners' counsel submit the assembly was lawful and the force disproportionate; the Additional Solicitor General submits the pleas rest on unverified social-media videos and that the crowd turned violent. At least nine FIRs now stand registered, up from five reported a day earlier.

Jul 22

RML says the injured woman is off the ventilator and conscious

In an official statement, RML Hospital says the 21-year-old critically injured on July 20 has been extubated and is breathing on her own — conscious, responding to commands, with normal brain and spine scans — and is the only patient still admitted in connection with the incident. This upgrades the July 21 report, which rested on unnamed hospital sources.

Jul 21 · evening

The detention question closes, from both sides

CJP alleges hundreds remain detained with lawyers denied access; Delhi Police respond in a statement that "no person is currently under detention," calling the circulating claims misleading. CJP's own lawyers then confirm all detainees have been released, and the planned sit-in outside Police Headquarters is called off — closing the question the party had raised earlier in the day.

Jul 21

Protest continues; founder apologises to injured supporters

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, at the protest site, apologises to supporters injured in the police action and says the protest will continue. The party's written demands were Wangchuk's release, the minister's resignation, and ₹1 crore compensation for bereaved families; no government response had come by that point.

Jul 21

Hospital sources report a protester on a ventilator; Health Minister visits hospitals

A woman injured in Monday's police action is on ventilator support at RML Hospital, hospital sources told reporters. Union Health Minister J P Nadda visited RML and Lady Hardinge hospitals, where authorities briefed him that the injured were under medical supervision. Delhi Police put Monday's injured at around 60 protesters and over 118 police personnel.

Jul 21

High Court declines urgent hearing on police-force plea; no assurances on written demands

The Delhi High Court declined urgent listing of a plea alleging excessive police force against protesters — the Chief Justice remarked that the Court "should not be dragged into such matters". The matter was taken up the following day; see the July 22 entry above. The CJP's written memorandum of three demands, submitted to Union Minister J P Nadda on Monday, received no assurances, according to government sources.

Jul 20 · evening

Government says talks were offered; police deny using force

Union Health Minister J P Nadda says the government held discussions with representatives, saying they had approached it earlier with proposals for talks. Delhi Police maintain no personnel used force on protesters.

Two years of study. One leaked paper. 2.27 million lives.

Where the promises stand

What the government did

Since the march

Amnesty says it verified police use of pellet shotguns and a shock baton on July 20

A month on, Delhi Police register the first FIR over the July 20 pellet firing

The Supreme Court formally constitutes the enquiry committee into the protest policing

The Supreme Court says it will quash the FIRs against student protesters

The Supreme Court moves to set up an independent committee on the police action

Delhi Police acknowledge facial recognition at the July 20 protest, and do not address the pellet firing

Hospital RTI replies put July 20 pellet injuries at 10, double the earlier count

Meta steps up removal of protest content in India

The Supreme Court clarifies that states may withdraw the cases against protesters

A woman is charged over remarks about the Prime Minister

Women identified with the protest are doxxed and threatened

The anti-paper-leak bill becomes law

Delhi orders no further action against protesters

The Supreme Court hears the pellet-gun petition

The court orders the RAF's ammunition log preserved

The promise not to prosecute protesters was broken in several states, then partly reversed

Two cases show how unevenly the assurance was applied

AI-morphed images target women identified with the protest

The Lok Sabha clears the paper-leak bill

The Supreme Court restrains police action against protesters, orders minors released

The court says an independent probe may be needed, but does not order one

Two further petitions are taken up

An internal inquiry finds pellets were fired

Four people are found with pellet-like wounds above the waist

A task force on exam reform, led by Nandan Nilekani

Police say the FIRs are likely to be withdrawn, and decline three questions

The FIR count is higher than the courts were told

The resignation is accepted; the education portfolio goes to Pralhad Joshi as additional charge

CJP calls off the protest

What the government agreed to, and what had happened by then

Pradhan resigns as Education Minister

The RAF's chief tells commanders the force used on July 20 fell short of its own standards

Pellet guns are barred from the Delhi deployment, going forward

A constable is suspended after an AK-47 is fired at a protest in Bihar

The CRPF asks the RAF to account for July 20

Talks resume; the government asks for another day on the resignation

Supreme Court will hear the police-force cases on Monday

Chief Justice: no case was ever filed on July 22

Cabinet clears a paper-leak bill; 47 NTA officials sacked

A legal group takes the internet shutdowns to court

Court won't order a national-agency inquiry into the march

Government agrees to talks at a neutral venue

Universities tell students to stay away from Jantar Mantar

Section 163 is used to stop people short of the protest

Facial recognition is deployed at the protest site

Wangchuk ends his 26-day fast

Connaught Place shops ordered shut by 6:30 pm

CJP calls for protests in every district on July 24

Stones at Tolstoy Marg; police say five personnel injured

A second internet suspension order, overnight into Jul 23

Pellet-injury reports emerge; Delhi Police deny using pellet guns

A senior officer is removed after a slap on video

Police order all personnel into uniform with badges

Two courts decline to intervene, for now

Wangchuk sets one condition to end his fast

High Court seeks answers on the force used; orders all footage preserved

RML says the injured woman is off the ventilator and conscious

The detention question closes, from both sides

Protest continues; founder apologises to injured supporters

Hospital sources report a protester on a ventilator; Health Minister visits hospitals

High Court declines urgent hearing on police-force plea; no assurances on written demands

Government says talks were offered; police deny using force

The record

2.27 million students sit NEET-UG

The exam is cancelled after the leak is confirmed

A student sit-in begins at Jantar Mantar

It isn't just one exam

The re-exam happens. The anger doesn't fade.

Sonam Wangchuk begins an indefinite fast

"Pradhan go back" goes national

A student in Odisha takes their own life

Week three of the fast. Still no answer.

Wangchuk is hospitalised. The protest doesn't stop.

The march meets barricades, tear gas and lathis

Accountabilityfor the failure.Reform so itcan't repeat.

Two years of study.
One leaked paper.
2.27 million lives.

Accountability
for the failure.
Reform so it
can't repeat.