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Delhi Police drags away LoP Rahul Gandhi, Opposition MPs protesting outside PM’s residence

Gandhi said the Opposition would not rest until the Prime Minister was held accountable and said Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was merely an "intermediary".

South First Desk

Published Jul 21, 2026 | 4:37 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 21, 2026 | 7:37 PM

Delhi Police drags away LoP Rahul Gandhi, Opposition MPs protesting outside PM’s residence

Rahul Gandhi was forcibly detained by Delhi Police.

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Synopsis: Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was detained by Delhi police on Tuesday after he alongside senior Congress leaders staged a sit-in protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence, demanding the resignations of Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the Delhi Police’s action against students during the ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest. Gandhi had earlier accused the Lok Sabha Speaker of saying that a discussion on the issue in Parliament would require the government’s permission, while the Opposition pressed for a debate on the police action and the examination crisis.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was forcibly detained by Delhi Police on the evening of Tuesday, 21 July after he, alongside Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, led MPs from Opposition parties in staging a sit-in protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence, demanding the resignations of Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the Delhi Police’s action against student protesters during the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march on Monday.

Among those present were Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav.

Delhi Police personnel carry away Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

“We have marched to PM Modi’s house to demand answers from him for the brutalities against young students yesterday. The Government doesn’t want to take any accountability, nor does it want to have a debate on it in Parliament. The PM and HM must resign for destroying the future of India’s youth,” Gandhi said in a post on X.

The march came on the second day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which witnessed repeated adjournments amid Opposition protests over the issue. Outside the Prime Minister’s residence, Opposition MPs raised slogans, vowing never to allow the issue to be buried.

Gandhi said the Opposition would not rest until the Prime Minister was held accountable and said Pradhan was merely an “intermediary”.

“He should apologize to the students and put an end to this nonsense of the police brutally beating them. This is completely wrong,” he said.

“Dharmendra Pradhan is just an intermediary. Certainly, he should resign. But Dharmendra Pradhan did not beat up these students. The Home Minister is responsible. He should resign. And the Home Minister reports to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister should also resign.”

Also Read: Protest isn’t a language Narendra Modi’s BJP understands, only electoral outcome is

Over 100 injured in lathi charge and tear gassing

On Monday afternoon, close to 1,000 protesters reached near Parliament despite heavy police restrictions as part of the Cockroach Janata Party’s ‘Sansad Chalo’ march, while the first day of the Monsoon Session was underway.

Delhi Police used lathi charges and fired tear gas at the crowd. Videos also showed police personnel assaulting individual protesters, with some seen bleeding from injuries to their heads and upper bodies.

Visuals from Parliament showed security forces taking up firing positions aimed at the Parliament gates with machine guns, while firefighters stood ready with water cannons. Separately, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cavalcade was seen leaving the Parliament premises as the protest march neared the Parliament complex.

The Hindu reported that at least 38 people injured in the protests had been brought to Lady Hardinge Medical College since the afternoon, while around 65 had been taken to RML Hospital, according to sources. The reported injuries included fractures, head injuries, swelling caused by tear gas and eye injuries.

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he had been informed that 13 people had been arrested and that he was going to meet the injured students.

Congress General Secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said the party had instructed its legal team to provide assistance to those arrested, detained or injured during the protests, and shared the contact details of lawyers who would provide legal support.

“Speaker said permission needed from govt for discussion”: Gandhi

Earlier on Tuesday, Gandhi, accompanied by Opposition MPs, met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to seek a detailed discussion in Parliament on the issues.

“Our demand is simple: Parliament must have a detailed discussion on the brutality unleashed on students yesterday and on the government’s complete lack of accountability for the examination crisis. Students were beaten for asking legitimate questions about their own future. If Parliament cannot discuss the future of India’s youth, what is it for? The Opposition will not let this be buried. We will ensure that the students’ voices are heard on the streets and in Parliament,” he wrote in a post on X.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Gandhi alleged that the Speaker had said he would require the government’s permission before allowing such a discussion.

“Think about what that means. The Speaker is saying that, to hold a debate in Parliament, he needs the government’s permission. He said this openly,” Gandhi said.

“This is an issue concerning students and the future of our youth. What is happening—people being beaten and assaulted—is completely against Indian values. Prime Minister Modi has not even apologized for what happened yesterday. These young people are protesting about the education system and the examination system. The entire country knows that both the education system and the examination system are broken. They have practically collapsed. The examination system has been hollowed out like wood eaten away by termites. That is all these students are saying. There is nothing wrong with what they are demanding.”

Also Read: Delhi HC allows Sonam Wangchuk to be shifted to Medanta hospital; doctors’ body questions denial of LAMA

Kharge condemns police action, demands education reforms

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the police’s use of lathi charges and tear gas against student protesters, saying it was not how “a ‘Mother of Democracy’ treats its young children.”

“Yesterday, the nation witnessed lathicharges, tear gas shells, and the crushing of a peaceful Democratic protest by the Government. The voices of students demanding justice were met with force instead of answers. This is not how a ‘Mother of Democracy’ treats its young children,” he wrote in a post on X.

“It is a day to seek accountability. Restore Democracy. Why were students demanding justice met with brutal lathis and tear gas? Why was Parliament virtually sealed and the internet shut down? Who will take responsibility for repeated paper leaks and the suffering of lakhs of young people?”

Kharge also demanded that the government allow a full discussion on the issue in Parliament and that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign, taking moral and political responsibility for the matter.

He further called for the creation of a 21st-century, student-centric examination system with secure digital question banks and randomised papers, an independent and merit-driven education system with higher spending on education free from RSS political interference, and statutory protection for students through mandatory re-examinations and compensation whenever examination irregularities occur.

“Our children deserve justice, not repression,” Kharge added.

(Edited by Dese Gowda)

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