Post-Protest Harassment Persists Despite Government Pledges to Drop Firs

Contradictions Between Policy and Policing

Although Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh assured a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) delegation on July 25 that cases against demonstrators would be withdrawn, reports from the ground suggest a different reality. The Delhi government eventually issued an order to scrap cases on July 30, yet law enforcement continued summoning individuals for questioning throughout that same day. Rishav Ranjan, a member of the Congress party's legal aid cell, noted that a dedicated helpline has already logged 300 distress calls.

Extrajudicial Detentions and Implementation Delays

Legal advocates highlight a failure to adhere to the Supreme Court’s July 28 mandate, which ordered the immediate release of all minors and prohibited coercive actions against students without criminal records. Ranjan alleged that authorities are using the ongoing investigation status of existing FIRs as a pretext for arbitrary detentions. Particular incidents include:

• Three residents of Haryana were detained at Parliament Street police station without prior notice.
• One individual was reportedly blindfolded during transit before being released near the Karnal bypass.
• Juveniles in Bhagalpur and Prayagraj remained in custody until the night of July 29, 2026.

Facial Recognition and Gender-Based Threats

Concerns are mounting over the use of Facial Recognition System (FRS) cameras at Jantar Mantar to track protesters. Beyond police action, a targeted campaign of harassment has emerged online. Approximately 50 women and girls reported receiving death and rape threats from influencers. Ranjan stated that lists containing the names of female protesters are circulating on social media, prompting plans to escalate these findings to the Supreme Court and the Delhi Police Commissioner.