The political battle over the NEET paper leak and the alleged police crackdown on students escalated dramatically on Tuesday, with the Congress taking its protest to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, triggering high-level negotiations, police action against Opposition leaders and a fresh war of words between the Centre and Rahul Gandhi.

The day also saw Parliament remain paralysed over the issue, the government defend its handling of the crisis, and the wider agitation led by the CJP and activist Sonam Wangchuk gather further momentum. The Centre insisted it was willing to discuss the issue in Parliament, while the Congress accused the government of evading accountability for the alleged police action against students.

  • Congress takes protest to PM's residence: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several senior leaders marched to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, demanding accountability for the alleged police action against students during Monday's CJP protest. The party also sought Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak and other examination irregularities.
  • Jitendra Singh leads government's outreach: As the protest intensified, the Centre deputed Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan to hold talks with Rahul Gandhi. The government urged the Congress to withdraw its dharna, arguing that the protest site near the Prime Minister's residence was unsuitable for demonstrations and was disrupting public movement.
  • Jitendra Singh accuses Rahul Gandhi of changing demands: After the meeting, Jitendra Singh alleged Rahul Gandhi had initially agreed to end the protest if the government accepted a parliamentary discussion on NEET and the student agitation. According to Singh, the Centre accepted the demand within minutes, but Rahul Gandhi later insisted on the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan before withdrawing the protest.

Congress leaders rejected the government's account, saying the talks remained inconclusive because their demands had not been met. Gandhi is yet to respond to Singh's allegations.
- Police remove and detain Opposition leaders: Soon after Jitendra Singh's statement, Delhi Police moved in to disperse the protest. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav were removed from the protest site, while Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav were detained. Police also detained several senior Congress leaders, including Charanjit Singh Channi, K Suresh and Kanhaiya Kumar, as they cleared the area.
- Rahul Gandhi sharpens attack on Centre: Before being removed from the protest site, Rahul Gandhi appealed to citizens to join the dharna, calling the alleged police action "an attack on every Indian family". In another post on X, he accused the government of refusing to debate the issue in Parliament and demanded the resignations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the alleged crackdown on students.
- Parliament remains deadlocked over NEET: The Monsoon Session witnessed repeated disruptions for the second consecutive day as the Opposition attempted to raise the NEET paper leak and the alleged assault on students. Congress leaders claimed they were not allowed to speak, while Kharge questioned how the Opposition could raise public concerns if Parliament refused to debate them.
- CJP agitation and Sonam Wangchuk keep pressure on Centre: Tuesday's Congress protest unfolded against the backdrop of the month-long agitation led by the CJP over the NEET paper leak and other examination irregularities.

The movement intensified after Monday's march to Parliament turned violent. CJP alleged students were lathi-charged, tear-gassed and assaulted, while Delhi Police claimed protesters attacked personnel and damaged public property, leaving 118 police personnel injured.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is on a hunger strike over the issue, was allowed by the Delhi High Court to be shifted from Safdarjung Hospital to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram for treatment.
- Government says dialogue remains open: Despite the political confrontation, the Centre maintained that it remained open to discussions. Union Minister JP Nadda held two rounds of talks with CJP representatives, met injured protesters at Ram Manohar Lohia and Lady Hardinge hospitals, and reiterated that the government was willing to engage with protesters while making it clear that violence would not be tolerated.
- PM Modi backs strict action against paper leaks: Amid the escalating row, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for the strictest possible punishment for those responsible for the NEET paper leak. According to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, the Prime Minister urged all political parties to ensure Parliament functions smoothly despite political differences and stressed that the government had acted swiftly after the paper leak surfaced.
- Tuesday marks a major escalation in the NEET row: Tuesday's developments transformed the NEET controversy from a student-led agitation into a full-fledged political confrontation between the Congress and the BJP. High-level negotiations, allegations and counter-allegations, police action against senior Opposition leaders, repeated Parliament disruptions and the continuing CJP and Sonam Wangchuk-led protests ensured that the paper leak controversy remained at the centre of the national political debate.

- Ends

Published By:

Ritaban Misra

Published On:

Jul 21, 2026 21:54 IST