Rahul Gandhi Detained During Protest Near PM’s Residence; Congress Leaders Taken Into Custody Over Paper Leak Row

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday evening while leading a protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence, demanding a discussion on the paper leak issue and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Several senior Congress leaders accompanying him were also taken into custody.

The protest began around 3:30 PM, with Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders staging a sit-in close to the Prime Minister’s residence. At around 6:30 PM, police moved in to disperse the gathering. As officers attempted to remove Rahul Gandhi, he lay down on the road in protest. Police personnel then lifted him and carried him away before detaining him.

Among those detained were Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, and several other opposition leaders, who had joined the demonstration against the alleged irregularities in examination conduct.

Jitendra Singh Held Talks with Rahul Gandhi

Before the police action, Union Minister Jitendra Singh met Rahul Gandhi at the protest site in an effort to resolve the situation. He later met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and returned to hold another round of discussions with the Congress leader.

In a post on social media, Jitendra Singh claimed that Rahul Gandhi had initially sought a parliamentary discussion on the NEET issue, which the government had agreed to. According to Singh, Rahul later added a second demand, insisting on the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The minister further said that when the Home Secretary informed Rahul Gandhi that the area was not an appropriate location for a sit-in protest, the Congress leader responded that it was his choice where he wished to stage the demonstration.

The protest comes amid the Opposition’s continued attack on the Centre over alleged examination irregularities and demands for greater accountability in the education system.