From a police notice to X demanding account details to a controversial entry into the CPI(M) office in search of Aishe Ghosh, Delhi Police’s latest actions have raised questions over the Centre’s assurances to CJP protesters.
BY PC Bureau
NEW DELHI/ July 29, 2026 : Barely days after the Centre assured representatives of the CJP movement that no punitive action would be taken against protesters as part of the agreement that ended the 37-day agitation over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak, Delhi Police has initiated a series of actions aimed at identifying activists linked to the movement.
In the latest development, Delhi Police has issued a formal notice to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), directing it to immediately remove posts and videos that allegedly contain “derogatory, malicious and defamatory” content targeting constitutional authorities.
The notice, issued as part of an ongoing investigation, also seeks extensive details of the accounts that uploaded the content, including the account holders’ names, addresses, mobile numbers, email IDs, IP logs, login and logout records with timestamps and other technical metadata that could help investigators establish their identities.
Police have further directed X to preserve all electronic records related to the identified posts for use during the investigation and any future court proceedings. In addition, the platform has been asked to furnish a certificate under Section 63(4) of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), the provision governing the admissibility and authentication of electronic evidence before courts.
The move comes despite repeated assurances by the Centre during negotiations with CJP leaders that protesters would not face punitive action for participating in the agitation. Those assurances formed a key part of the understanding that led to the withdrawal of the protest after the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
If anything happens to @aishe_ghosh, the government will see a protest like never before.
Stop harassing our team. Honour your words. https://t.co/bjfwqueVe1
— Ashutosh Ranka (@AshutoshRanka) July 28, 2026
The police action follows another controversial development on Tuesday, when Delhi Police entered the CPI(M)’s Delhi State Committee office in search of former JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, who has been associated with the CJP campaign. According to CPI(M), police personnel entered the party office without prior permission in an attempt to detain Ghosh. Party leaders condemned the move as an unprecedented intrusion into a recognised political party’s office and alleged that it violated democratic norms.
Delhi Police has not publicly alleged that the entry into the CPI(M) office was connected to any political activity, and the force has maintained that its actions are part of ongoing investigations arising from the July 20 protests and related incidents.
Officials have said they are examining social media posts that allegedly contain abusive or objectionable remarks directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other constitutional authorities. According to the notice served on X, the disputed content forms part of material under investigation, necessitating its preservation and removal from public access.
The notice also requires X to provide any additional information that may assist investigators in identifying those responsible for publishing the content.
The developments have prompted fresh questions over the scope of the government’s assurance that no action would be taken against protesters. CJP leaders argue that the commitment was intended to protect students and activists from retaliatory legal measures arising out of the movement, while the ongoing police investigation appears to be moving in the opposite direction.
X, as an intermediary operating in India, is legally required to respond to valid requests from investigating agencies under the Information Technology Act and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules. The company reviews such requests under its legal compliance framework and may remove or withhold content where required by law while preserving user rights within the applicable legal process.
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At the time of publication, it was not known whether X had complied with the Delhi Police notice or whether the company intended to challenge any part of the request. Likewise, Delhi Police had not issued a detailed statement explaining how its current actions align with the assurances given during the negotiations that brought the CJP protest to an end.
