A day after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned and the Centre assured the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) that criminal cases arising from the recent student protests would be addressed, the Delhi Police said it would await formal instructions from the government before taking any action on the FIRs registered during the agitation. A senior police officer, requesting anonymity, said the force had not yet received any official communication regarding the cases registered in connection with the July 20 violence and subsequent incidents on July 22. "Until we receive directions from the government, the existing legal process will remain unchanged," the officer said. Union minister JP Nadda, who held discussions with CJP representatives, said the talks covered multiple issues, including criminal cases filed during the protests, compensation for affected families and the organisation's wider set of demands.
According to Nadda, the government agreed that no fresh action should be initiated against protesters and that cases already registered by the Delhi Police or police forces in BJP-ruled states would be withdrawn. However, senior police officials clarified that an FIR itself cannot simply be "withdrawn". One officer explained that an FIR remains part of the official record and can only be dealt with through established legal procedures. "An investigation may culminate in a chargesheet, a closure or cancellation report, or the government may decide to withdraw prosecution. These are the legal options available," the officer said.
He added that if the government formally decides to withdraw prosecution in the cases, the police would act in accordance with that decision and discontinue further investigation. A CJP spokesperson said the organisation had been assured that the government's commitment would be conveyed in writing, expected by Tuesday. Until Friday, the Delhi Police had maintained that the violence accompanying the CJP's "Chalo Sansad" march formed part of what investigators described as a "larger conspiracy". Fifteen FIRs were registered in connection with incidents between July 20 and July 23. Police said at least 129 security personnel and over 60 protesters were injured during the July 20 clashes, while another 11 police officers sustained injuries in subsequent confrontations.
One of the FIRs, registered at Kartavya Path police station on the complaint of a police inspector, invoked Section 109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to attempt to murder, along with provisions dealing with rioting, unlawful assembly, assault on public servants, damage to public property and violation of prohibitory orders. According to the complaint, police personnel deployed near Kartavya Path from the early hours of July 20 were alerted around 11.30 am that groups of protesters were moving towards Parliament. Officers were rushed to barricades on Rafi Marg after wireless messages reported the advancing crowd. The FIR alleges that despite repeated announcements informing demonstrators that prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were in force, sections of the crowd attempted to breach security barricades, delivered provocative speeches, assaulted police personnel, threw stones and damaged public as well as private property. Police said they responded with what the FIR described as a "mild lathicharge" and tear gas to disperse the gathering.
Investigators subsequently registered four additional FIRs, taking the total to 15, while the Special Cell assumed charge of the first case as part of its probe into the alleged conspiracy behind the violence.
Officials said investigators have been examining more than 15 terabytes of video footage, analysing speeches delivered from the main protest site at Jantar Mantar and scrutinising the role of alleged organisers, social media influencers and suspected funding networks. Police are also probing the circulation of a purported protest "toolkit" that allegedly instructed participants to carry items such as pepper spray, chilli powder and blunt objects. According to investigators, intelligence assessments had initially estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 people would participate in the march. However, the actual turnout was significantly larger, with protesters approaching Parliament from multiple routes, a factor that police said strengthened their suspicion of coordinated planning behind the demonstrations.