CJP Protest in Delhi Highlights: Jitendra Singh, JP Nadda meet Sonam Wangchuk at Medanta hospital

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According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), a section of the crowd pelted stones at Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel late on the night of July 21. The incident took place in the Connaught Place area.

An RAF Vajra vehicle was also targeted during the stone-pelting. Police exercised considerable restraint and dispersed the crowd. This raises several questions. The protest by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) was being held at Jantar Mantar, and there was no announcement by the party for any march beyond the protest site.

(Reported by Arvind Ojha)

The United Doctors Front (UDF) has submitted a representation to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking the replacement of the National Testing Agency (NTA) with a statutory National Examination Authority established through an Act of Parliament.

The demand reiterates the organisation's earlier submissions before the Parliamentary Standing Committee and its pending Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court.

UDF chairperson Dr Lakshya Mittal said the organisation had no association with any political party, including the BJP, Congress, AAP or the “Cockroach Janata Party”, and was solely concerned about students.

“Every doctor was once a medical aspirant and clearly understands the years of hard work, sacrifice and emotional stress that students and their families go through,” Mittal said.

“Our message is simple, don't politicise students' future, reform the system, restore trust in NEET and the education system, and let merit prevail,” he added.

Sri Sri Ravishankar said on X that the voices of India’s youth should be heard with patience, adding that a breakdown in communication serves no one and is deeply unfortunate. He said he was “very sorry” to see the current state of affairs.

Calling the police action against students protesting the alleged NEET paper leak in Delhi unacceptable, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday night extended her party's support to the opposition's sit-in protest in the national capital.

Earlier in the day, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and several other senior leaders staged a dharna outside the prime minister's residence, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the police action against students.

"The police atrocities on our youth in Delhi is unacceptable. Shame on the Union government. The All India Trinamool Congress fully supports the sit-down protest by the Opposition today near Akbar Road. Our full solidarity," Banerjee said in a social media post.

The Uttarakhand unit of the Congress on Tuesday night took out a march to Lok Bhawan in Dehradun, protesting against what it called the BJP government's "barbaric" action against students during their peaceful agitation in Delhi.

Led by state Congress vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana, party workers gathered at Centrio Mall on New Cantt Road and marched towards Lok Bhawan amid rain.

Police stopped the protesters before they could reach the venue by putting up barricades. Some workers attempted to climb over and cross the barricades, leading to a scuffle between them and the police.

Around 100 protesters were detained and later released, police said.

The political battle over the NEET paper leak and the alleged police crackdown on students escalated sharply on Tuesday after the Congress took its protest to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, triggering high-level negotiations with the Centre, the detention of Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders, and a fresh war of words between the BJP-led government and the Congress. Read India Today's report here.

The Congress on Tuesday staged protests at multiple locations in Madhya Pradesh against the detention of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other party leaders during a sit-in near the Prime Minister’s residence in New Delhi.

Congress MLAs, led by Madhya Pradesh Assembly Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, staged a protest outside the Chief Minister’s office on the Assembly premises. State Congress president Jitu Patwari, along with other party leaders and workers, demonstrated outside Raj Bhavan.

Singhar alleged that the detention of senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, during a protest against alleged police action against students represented the “shameful face of dictatorship” under the BJP government.

Pawan Khera, senior Congress leader, said the party's demands include the resignation and accountability of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

In a post on X, Khera demanded that all those responsible for allegedly humiliating and brutalising students during protests be identified, investigated and subjected to strict legal action. He also called for the immediate withdrawal of all cases filed against protesting students.

Khera further demanded a full debate in Parliament on July 22 over the crisis facing India's youth, including what he described as the collapse of the education system and police brutality against peaceful student protesters.

He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi owed the nation, especially the young people allegedly beaten and humiliated on the streets of Delhi, an unconditional apology.

Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met with Sonam Wangchuk, who is admitted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, say sources.

(Inputs from Himanshu Mishra)

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday posted a video from Chhatrasal Stadium, where he was taken by Delhi Police after being detained during a protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence.

In the video, Gandhi raised concerns over the state of India's education system and accused the Modi government of failing to address the issues faced by students. He alleged that the concerns of young people were being ignored and reiterated his demand for accountability over the NEET-related controversy.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party of using students as "political tools" to disrupt the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

In a post on X, Pradhan alleged that Gandhi's sit-in protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence ignored security protocols and caused inconvenience to the public. He claimed that despite the government's willingness to hold a comprehensive discussion on NEET and other examination-related issues, the Congress chose "political spectacle over democratic debate."

Pradhan said the government's doors for dialogue remained open and reiterated that it was fully prepared to discuss NEET and all genuine concerns of students on the floor of Parliament. He added that students deserved "certainty over chaos, solutions over slogans and responsibility over disruption," and asserted that the government remained committed to delivering reforms and accountability.

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray reaches Jantar Mantar, where CJP continues to protest against the government.

"Rahul Gandhi's conduct outside the PM's residence was certainly unfortunate. It is a black day in the history of Indian politics," said BJP chief Nitin Nabin.

Delhi Police detained 70 people on July 20 after violence broke out during the CJP protest. They were arrested for allegedly disturbing public order and were released on bail on Tuesday. The police have so far registered six FIRs in connection with the clashes and vandalism during the protest.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has been released from Chhatrasal Stadium, hours after he was detained by the Delhi Police. (Inputs from Arvind Ojha)

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has left from Mandir Marg Police Station.

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday condemned the alleged police action against protesters in Delhi, calling it "unacceptable" and expressing solidarity with the Opposition's sit-in protest. In a post on X, Banerjee said the Trinamool Congress fully supported the demonstration, accusing the Union government of unleashing "police atrocities" on the youth.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi reached Mandir Marg, where Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi is being detained.