NEW DELHI—Delhi Police removed and briefly detained several opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, after they staged a sit-in near Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official residence to protest police action against student demonstrators and press for the prime minister's resignation, officials and party representatives said.
The protest took place near Lok Kalyan Marg, a high-security area in the capital, where opposition lawmakers gathered after marching from a nearby location. Television footage showed police officers carrying or escorting several leaders into waiting vehicles as they refused to leave the protest site. Authorities later released those detained, according to party officials and local media.
The Congress party said the demonstration was held in response to police action against students protesting alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) system and repeated examination paper leak controversies. The party has demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and called for a broader debate in Parliament on the issue.
Government representatives criticized the protest, saying opposition leaders had attempted to stage an unauthorized demonstration in a sensitive security zone. Union Minister Jitendra Singh accused Rahul Gandhi of creating confrontation, while the government maintained that steps had already been taken to address examination irregularities, including arrests, legal measures and plans for reforms.
The confrontation followed a day of large student-led demonstrations in New Delhi that drew police intervention and intensified political pressure on the government. The broader protest movement, initially driven by students angered over alleged examination mismanagement, has spread to several Indian cities and prompted repeated disruptions in Parliament by opposition lawmakers.
Congress leaders said Rahul Gandhi had earlier met injured student protesters at a hospital before joining the march toward the prime minister's residence. Video from the scene showed opposition lawmakers sitting on the road before police moved in to clear the area. Reports that Gandhi sustained a minor facial injury during the removal were cited by his aides but were not independently verified.
Parliamentary proceedings have been repeatedly disrupted as opposition parties seek discussion of the examination controversy and accountability from the government. Officials have said they remain prepared to debate education-related issues while rejecting opposition demands for ministerial resignations. By late Tuesday, the detained leaders had been released and no further official action related to the protest had been announced.
