Panaji: Amreen Shaikh, a 26-year-old organiser of the NEET paper leak protests in Goa, has alleged that she was subjected to intimidating police interrogations in connection with demonstrations held last month, claiming officers questioned her extensively about jailed activist Umar Khalid, her family’s background and even asked whether she would take responsibility if a “bomb blast” had occurred during the protest.
Shaikh was summoned to Panaji Police Station on July 29 after helping organise demonstrations in Goa following a nationwide protest call over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination. According to her, the questioning quickly shifted away from the protest itself.
Speaking about the interrogation, Shaikh said officers asked detailed questions about her father, his business and his foreign travel history before raising hypothetical questions about violence at the protest. She described the experience as frightening, saying she feared she would be arrested after a plainclothes officer allegedly warned her that detention was imminent.
Just days earlier, on July 26, she had also appeared before Mapusa Police in connection with another FIR, where she said she was asked to handwrite responses to nearly 240 questions. According to Shaikh, the majority of those questions centred on former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Umar Khalid, who has been in jail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) since 2020.
“I didn’t know anything about him. I was protesting for educational reforms,” Shaikh said, adding that she had only learned about Khalid after searching online following the police questioning. She said her lawyer informed her that Khalid remains an undertrial prisoner and has not been convicted.
The Indian Express reported that the questionnaire included queries about whether she had raised slogans demanding Khalid’s release during the protest. Shaikh maintains she had no prior association with him.
Although she has been questioned in connection with two FIRs, Shaikh is not named as an accused in either case. Police notices reportedly state that she was summoned because she was “acquainted with the facts and circumstances” of the investigations.
Shaikh said the protests were organised after she was deeply disturbed by reports of student suicides linked to the alleged NEET paper leak. She insists that organisers obtained police permission, followed all legal procedures and ensured that demonstrations remained peaceful without disrupting public life.
The controversy intensified after some protesters displayed placards demanding the release of undertrial prisoners, including Umar Khalid, during a gathering at Azad Maidan following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The placards prompted complaints and criticism from Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who questioned why Khalid’s name had been raised during a protest over the NEET examination.
The Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) has condemned the police action, alleging that peaceful student activists are being intimidated. The organisation has called for an end to what it describes as the criminalisation of democratic dissent and demanded accountability for the manner in which police interrogations were conducted.
Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have previously called for Umar Khalid’s release, arguing that prolonged incarceration without trial raises serious concerns about due process. Khalid remains an undertrial in the Delhi riots conspiracy case, and the allegations against him continue to be contested in court.
