Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders staged a protest near the Prime Minister’s residence over the police action against student protesters
July 21, 2026: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and several Congress MPs were detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday after marching towards the Prime Minister’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg to protest the police action against students during the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) ‘Chalo Sansad’ march. The protest came a day after clashes between demonstrators and police in the national capital. Before the detention, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh met Gandhi and conveyed that the government was ready to hold a discussion in Parliament on education-related issues on Wednesday. However, the Congress insisted that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign before any discussion.
Addressing the media, Rahul Gandhi accused the government of suppressing students who were raising legitimate concerns about the country’s education and examination system. He questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence over the issue and alleged that Parliament was not being allowed to debate the matter freely. Gandhi later visited Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital to meet injured protesters before leading the march towards the Prime Minister’s residence. Senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and KC Venugopal, joined the demonstration. Support also came from Opposition leaders such as Akhilesh Yadav, Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar, and Arvind Kejriwal.
Meanwhile, the CJP protest continued to draw political attention. Representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka met Union Health Minister JP Nadda to submit the organisation’s demands. At Safdarjung Hospital, activist Sonam Wangchuk remained on hunger strike under medical supervision after being shifted from Jantar Mantar. According to the latest medical bulletin, his serum potassium level was being monitored, and while he was accepting oral rehydration solution and potassium supplements, he continued to refuse intravenous fluids and glucose. The protests have intensified the political confrontation over alleged examination irregularities and the government’s handling of student demonstrations.