Mumbai Police Register Cases Against Over 50 Protesters at Dadar

On the afternoon of 21 July 2026, Mumbai police filed three separate cases against a crowd that swelled beyond fifty people at Chaityabhoomi in Dadar. The gathering was part of a larger CJP‑led protest that had been making headlines across the capital.

The demonstrators were waving placards and chanting slogans demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, whom they blamed for a purported leak of the NEET‑UG 2026 exam paper. At the same time, they voiced anger over the removal of activist Sonam Wangchuk from his hunger strike in Delhi – a move that many supporters said was abrupt and heavy‑handed.

According to the police report, the protest lacked the necessary permission for a public assembly, which formed the legal basis for the charges. Specific sections of the law were not disclosed in the filing, leaving the exact nature of the offences a bit fuzzy.

The Dadar incident echoed unrest brewing in the national capital. Just a few days earlier, on 18 July, Delhi police had taken Sonam Wangchuk to a hospital after his hunger strike turned critical. In the days that followed, Delhi authorities lodged five FIRs related to stone‑pelting and vandalism at Jantar Mantar, as well as at police stations on Parliament Street and Connaught Place. Those FIRs invoked the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, the Arms Act 1959 and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

Adding a political twist, a delegation of the CJP’s core team met Union Health Minister JP Nadda on 20 July to press their demands, underscoring how the protest has spilled over from education policy into broader governance concerns.

While the exact number of arrests in Mumbai remains unclear – reports simply say “more than 50” – the episode signals a growing willingness among activist groups to challenge authority on multiple fronts, even as law‑enforcement agencies tighten the reins.