New Delhi, July 22: Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the government of exploiting students and demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Home Minister Amit Shah over the NEET paper leak controversy.

LoP Rahul Gandhi, who was detained by Delhi Police during a sit-in outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence at Lok Kalyan Marg and later released, said the issue must be debated in both Houses of Parliament.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the Speaker of the Lok Sabha earlier in the day, LoP Rahul Gandhi said he had requested a debate on the treatment of students during Monday’s protests.

“The Speaker said he needed to take permission from the Government, but it was very clear to us in the hours after that that there was no interest in the Government of having a debate,” he said.

He added that the Opposition then decided to stage a dharna outside the Prime Minister’s residence to bring the students’ issue to national attention.

“This is the most crucial issue for the country, along with what has been done against them,” Gandhi remarked.

Questioning the state of the education system, LoP Rahul Gandhi asked: “Why is the Indian education system collapsing? Why are papers leaking? Why is education so expensive in India? Why do families have to destroy themselves financially to educate their children? These are legitimate questions, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking them.”

Outlining the students’ demands, Gandhi said they included the resignation of Pradhan and Shah, action against those who beat and humiliated the students, and the withdrawal of all cases registered against them.

He added that the entire Opposition wanted the issue debated in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

“My suggestion to Modi ji, as LoP, is that for what happened yesterday, what your Government and your Home Minister did, you should apologise to the students of the country and start reforms in the examination system and education system as soon as possible,” LoP Rahul Gandhi said.

Thanking supporters, he added: “You all supported us. To everyone fighting together for the cause of the students, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”

The confrontation highlights the deepening rift between the government and the Opposition over the sensitive issue of paper leaks in competitive examinations, which continues to affect lakhs of students across the country.

New Delhi, July 22: The Delhi Police denied claims of stone-pelting and police action circulating on social media, calling the videos and allegations “false and misleading” and urging citizens not to share unverified information.

In a post on X, DCP New Delhi said, “There are various videos circulating on social media claiming incidents of stone pelting and police action today. These claims are false and misleading. No such incident has taken place today. Citizens are requested not to believe or share such videos and are advised to rely only on official sources for authentic information and updates.”

The clarification came as protesters remained at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday, continuing their demonstration a day after clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces in Delhi during the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march.

Thousands of supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and students had marched from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament on Monday, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities, including the NEET-UG paper leak controversy.

The police had imposed prohibitory orders and placed barricades along the route to prevent the march from reaching Parliament.

After security personnel dismantled the protest stage and tents at Jantar Mantar, demonstrators returned to the site on Tuesday following a call from the CJP to continue the agitation. A heavy deployment of Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel remained in place at the protest venue.

CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said the protesters would continue their agitation until their demand for Pradhan’s resignation was addressed. Speaking to media, Ranka alleged that protesters, including students and volunteers, faced police action during Monday’s confrontation and claimed that several people were injured.

He said the movement would continue and attract more participants following what he described as the “brutality” of the police action. Ranka also alleged that women protesters, including Geetanjali J. Angmo, the wife of activist Sonam Wangchuk, were mistreated during the clashes.

New Delhi, July 21: Police forcibly removed Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and several opposition MPs from their dharna site near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence in New Delhi on Tuesday, after they marched towards Lok Kalyan Marg demanding action over alleged examination paper leaks and police action against student protesters.

Rahul Gandhi, who sat on the road refusing to leave, was surrounded by several police personnel before being escorted into a police vehicle along with other opposition leaders. The protest came a day after a students’ march to Parliament witnessed police intervention.

Earlier, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi led party workers from Kharge’s residence to the Prime Minister’s residence, intensifying the opposition’s campaign on education-related issues. Before being detained, Rahul appealed to people to join the dharna, saying, “An attack on students is an attack on every Indian family,” and accused the government of failing to answer concerns raised by students.

In a significant development, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh met Rahul Gandhi at the protest site. Congress leaders said the talks remained inconclusive as the party insisted on the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and a discussion in Parliament on alleged examination paper leaks.

Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said the party would continue its protest until its demands were met. Jitendra Singh, however, maintained that the government was ready to hold a discussion in Parliament on education-related issues and alleged that the Congress later made the minister’s resignation a precondition.

The Congress has also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah apologise or resign over the police action against protesters during Monday’s march. The protest received support from opposition leaders, including NCP(SP) MP Supriya Sule, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, NCP(SP) president Sharad Pawar and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, signalling broader opposition backing for the agitation.