Opposition Leaders Detained During Protest Near PM’s Residence Over NEET Row and Student Crackdown

New Delhi, July 2026: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and several other opposition leaders were detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday after staging a sit-in near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence to protest the alleged NEET examination paper leak and police action against student demonstrators.

The opposition leaders had marched towards Lok Kalyan Marg demanding accountability over alleged examination irregularities and action against those responsible for the paper leak. They also condemned the police action against students during Monday’s protest march towards Parliament.

Rahul Gandhi, who refused to leave the protest site and sat on the road in defiance, was surrounded by police personnel before being escorted into a police vehicle along with other opposition MPs. Several Congress workers and leaders accompanying the march were also taken into preventive custody as the protest was dispersed.

Earlier in the day, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had led party workers from Kharge’s residence at Rajaji Marg towards the Prime Minister’s residence, intensifying the Opposition’s campaign over the alleged examination scandal.

Before being detained, Rahul Gandhi appealed to citizens to support the protest, stating that an attack on students was an attack on every Indian family. He accused the government of failing to address the concerns of students affected by repeated examination controversies and alleged that the Centre was attempting to suppress legitimate protests instead of ensuring accountability.

In a significant political development, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr Jitendra Singh, visited the protest site and held discussions with Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders. According to Congress leaders, the talks failed to produce a breakthrough as the party reiterated its demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and sought a detailed discussion in Parliament on the alleged examination paper leaks.

Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said the party would continue its agitation until the government accepted its demands. On the other hand, Dr Jitendra Singh maintained that the Centre was willing to hold a discussion in Parliament on issues related to education and examination reforms. He, however, alleged that the Congress subsequently made the Education Minister’s resignation a precondition for any further engagement.

The Congress has also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah either apologise or resign over the police action against student protesters during Monday’s demonstrations.

The protest received support from several opposition leaders, including NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MP Supriya Sule, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, reflecting a broader opposition effort to corner the government over the alleged examination irregularities and the handling of student protests.

With Parliament witnessing repeated disruptions over the issue, the NEET paper leak controversy is expected to remain at the centre of political debate in the ongoing session.

Team Maverick.