Two people were detained by Goa Police in Panaji on Saturday after they displayed placards supporting jailed student activist Umar Khalid during a gathering celebrating the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The gathering was held at Azad Maidan in solidarity with the nationwide protests over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The celebration came shortly after Pradhan announced his resignation following weeks of student protests across the country.
According to police, one of the protesters, identified as Danish, held a placard reading, “Free Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Bhima Koregaon 16.” When questioned by journalists, Danish said he supported Khalid’s release from prison.
Police Detain Protesters, FIR Likely
Police officials stationed at the venue questioned Danish and asked him to produce an identity document. According to officials, he was taken into custody after he allegedly failed to produce identification and refused to disclose his identity.
Following his detention, several protesters marched to the Goa Police Headquarters demanding his release. During the demonstration, another protester, Sudin Dalvi, was also detained after he expressed support for Umar Khalid, police said.
A police official said an FIR would be registered against both individuals. Authorities maintained that the action was taken to prevent any law-and-order situation.
BJP Youth Wing Demands Strict Action
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) also staged a protest outside the Panaji police station, demanding strict legal action against the two detainees.
BJYM Goa president Tushar Kelkar called for non-bailable charges against them, alleging that they had expressed support for an “anti-national.”
Who Is Umar Khalid?
Umar Khalid has been in jail since September 2020 in connection with the northeast Delhi riots that took place in February 2020. He has been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and several other laws on charges including conspiracy, funding terrorism-related activities and promoting violence.
The Delhi Police has alleged that the riots were part of a larger conspiracy linked to protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Khalid has denied all allegations against him.
He has remained in judicial custody for nearly six years without the trial being completed. His bail pleas have been rejected multiple times, although the Supreme Court has granted bail to some other accused in the same case.
Protest Linked to Nationwide Student Movement
The Panaji gathering was connected to the larger student movement against alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, particularly the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.
The protests began at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in June under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party and gained nationwide attention after activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the agitation. Following Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation on Saturday, the CJP announced that it was ending its protest, saying its key demands had been accepted after talks with the Centre.
The detention of the two protesters in Goa has now added another dimension to the demonstrations, with the focus shifting from the education protests to the display of placards supporting Umar Khalid.
