Former Bihar minister and Janshakti Janata Dal national president Tej Pratap Yadav was on Sunday sent to 14-day judicial custody by a Patna court in connection with the violence that erupted during the NEET paper leak protest in the state capital a day earlier.
Yadav was arrested late on Saturday evening from a mall in the city and produced before the judicial magistrate around midnight. The court remanded him to 14 days’ judicial custody, after which he was sent to Patna’s Beur Jail. His lawyer, Jagannath Singh, stated that the FIR was registered only on Sunday morning, after the arrest had already taken place the previous evening. The advocate has said that a bail application will be moved on Monday.
On Saturday, after Tej Pratap Yadav had reached Ramgulam Chowk to join the protest, he was briefly detained, but was released later on. However, the events took a new turn by evening. When Yadav was at City Center Mall in Patna in the evening, a police team arrived and detained him. As per reports, he was taken into custody over charges of violence, vandalism, and arson that occurred during the Bihar bandh.
#WATCH | Patna, Bihar: Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) National President Tej Pratap Yadav was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a Patna court in connection with the Gandhi Maidan protest case.
— ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2026
Jagannath Singh, Advocate for Tej Pratap Yadav, says, "An FIR was filed on the 26th,… pic.twitter.com/fZo8XHefP5
Police have alleged that Yadav’s presence and actions at the protest site contributed to the escalation of the agitation over the NEET paper leak. The demonstration, which formed part of the statewide Bihar bandh, turned violent in areas including Gandhi Maidan and Ram Gulam Chowk. Protesters allegedly pelted stones, damaged and overturned police vehicles, vandalised a traffic booth and caused damage to public property. Tear gas was used to disperse the crowds.
According to available information, the charges against Yadav under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita include Section 109 for attempt to murder along with provisions relating to rioting, arson, vandalism and damage to public property. These are non-bailable offences. Multiple FIRs have been registered at police stations including Gandhi Maidan and Kotwali in connection with the Saturday incidents.
The police said that they have reviewed CCTV footage from the protest site, adding that the investigation uncovered some evidence related to Tej Pratap Yadav’s role in the violence. However, the police have not yet publicly disclosed what was seen in the footage that led to the action against the son of Lalu Prasad Yadav.
Tej Pratap Yadav, who had joined the students’ sit-in to extend support and demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, had earlier declared that he stood shoulder to shoulder with the youth and was prepared to lay down his life for their rights
