ALBAWABA- India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi sustained a minor nose injury and was detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday during a protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence, amid demonstrations over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2026 examination and police action against student protesters.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition and senior Congress MP, joined other opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, in a march from the Congress headquarters to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, where they staged a sit-in demanding accountability over allegations of exam paper leaks and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
During the protest, government representatives, including Union Minister Jitendra Singh and the Home Secretary, held discussions with opposition leaders and offered a parliamentary debate on the NEET issue. Talks failed after protesters insisted on the education minister’s resignation.
Police then moved to clear the high-security area, leading to a physical confrontation as Gandhi and other leaders resisted detention. Video footage showed officers carrying Gandhi toward a police vehicle, with blood visible around his nose and on his clothing.
Reports described the injury as minor and resulting from the physical handling during the detention. No serious injuries or hospitalization were reported. Gandhi, Yadav, and several other opposition leaders were detained and later released, while police cleared the protest site.
The confrontation followed clashes the previous day during a student-led march to Parliament protesting alleged NEET examination irregularities and wider concerns over India’s education system. Opposition parties criticized police action against the demonstrators, while the government defended the response and called for parliamentary discussion rather than street protests.
The incident adds to escalating tensions between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and the opposition Congress party, with disputes frequently emerging over issues including examinations, unemployment, inflation, and governance.
Opposition parties have accused the government of restricting democratic protests, while the BJP has argued that security measures are necessary and accused the opposition of using public issues for political confrontation
