Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Friday, 31 July announced that the state government will withdraw all police cases filed against participants in statewide protests held in solidarity with demonstrations in New Delhi over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination. The decision follows representations submitted to the Chief Minister and the Home Department by prominent personalities, including Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan and Tushar Gandhi.

Key Developments

Chennithala confirmed he had directed the State Police Chief (SPC) to halt further proceedings in all NEET-related protest cases. Justifying the move, the Minister said the cases were routine law-and-order matters involving no serious violence or atrocity. He also noted that the Supreme Court had adopted a constructive stance on the NEET controversy. 'These are general law-and-order cases. There was no serious violence or atrocity. Even the Supreme Court adopted a positive approach towards the issue. Therefore, there is no need to pursue these cases further,' Chennithala said.

Operation Toofan: Crackdown on Prison Narcotics

In a separate announcement, Chennithala said the Police and Prisons Departments had jointly launched 'Operation Toofan', a statewide drive targeting drug use and trafficking inside correctional facilities. Raids commenced at 2 a.m. and were ongoing across jails, based on intelligence inputs indicating that inmates were using and trafficking narcotics within prison premises. The Minister warned that stringent action would follow against those found involved.

Online Drug Supply to Students: A Growing Concern

Chennithala expressed serious concern over reports of narcotics being routed to students through online delivery platforms. Referencing the recent Perambra case in Kozhikode — where three women teachers and a delivery executive have allegedly come under police scrutiny — he appealed to delivery personnel not to become conduits for drug networks. He also called for an end to social media campaigns that facilitate or promote drug trafficking, warning that police would act firmly against such activity.

PM SHRI Scheme Row: Chennithala Targets LDF

On the controversy over the PM SHRI scheme, Chennithala accused the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of signing the agreement with the Centre without informing even its own coalition partner, the Communist Party of India (CPI), or obtaining Cabinet approval. He said the present government could not simply exit the agreement, as doing so would cost Kerala central assistance. Instead, the state would pursue greater flexibility from the Centre on matters such as curriculum design and school selection under the scheme.

Chennithala also took a pointed swipe at Rajya Sabha member and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader John Brittas, questioning why he had not raised objections when the agreement was originally signed under the Pinarayi Vijayan government, arguing that the LDF could not now transfer responsibility to the current administration.

With the NEET protest case withdrawals, Operation Toofan raids still under way, and the PM SHRI dispute unresolved, the Kerala government faces a busy legislative and law-enforcement calendar in the weeks ahead.