After a brief standoff, the Opposition leaders reached Gandhi Smriti to pay tribute to students who allegedly died by suicide over the NEET paper leak and express solidarity with injured protesters.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, July 23: High drama unfolded in the national capital on Thursday as Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and MPs of the INDIA bloc were briefly stopped by Delhi Police while attempting to march to Gandhi Smriti to pay tribute to students who allegedly died by suicide following the NEET paper leak controversy and to express solidarity with students protesting across the country.
The Opposition leaders had initially planned to march to India Gate, but alleged that heavy police deployment and barricades prevented them from proceeding. Following a brief standoff with security personnel, the delegation changed its destination to Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Marg, where they paid tribute to the students.
The march followed a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders at Rahul Gandhi’s residence, attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, senior leader P. Chidambaram, TMC MPs Mahua Moitra and Kalyan Banerjee, along with leaders of several other opposition parties. A heavy police presence and Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed outside the residence before the leaders set out.
Speaking to reporters after reaching Gandhi Smriti, Gandhi said the Opposition had decided to join students on the streets because their concerns were not being heard.
“Our students are on the streets, so all the Opposition MPs felt that we should also be on the streets. We wanted to go to India Gate, but we were stopped. We then decided to come to Gandhi Smriti. We are here to stand with the students,” he said.
In a post on X, Gandhi said the visit was meant to honour students who had allegedly taken their own lives following the examination controversy and to express solidarity with those injured during recent protests.
“Right now, MPs and leaders of the INDIA alliance are peacefully heading to Gandhi Smriti. We go to remember the students we lost and to stand with those who lie injured today. India’s students are not alone. The entire Opposition stands with them,” he wrote.
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“Students are on streets so in solidarity we wanted to protest at India Gate but the Govt stopped us
Now when we were going to Gandhi Smriti, they have parked a police van in front of… pic.twitter.com/TVPDHlGCys
— Ankit Mayank (@mr_mayank) July 23, 2026
Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury and party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate criticised the police action, questioning why a peaceful march to pay tribute to students had been stopped. They accused the government of attempting to suppress democratic dissent instead of engaging with students’ concerns.
The symbolic march comes amid a continuing political deadlock over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, with Opposition parties demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and repeatedly disrupting proceedings in Parliament.
READ: Fresh Paper Leak Hits Uttarakhand University
Meanwhile, the standoff between the Centre and the protesting Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has deepened over the venue for fresh talks. The government has expressed its willingness to engage with protesters and invited CJP representatives for discussions at the residence or office of Union Minister J.P. Nadda.
However, the CJP rejected the offer, insisting that talks should be held either at Jantar Mantar or at a mutually agreed neutral venue such as the Constitution Club of India. CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said the protesters were looking for “concrete outcomes” rather than assurances and remained open to dialogue at a neutral location.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the government was prepared to discuss all issues with an open mind, while earlier in the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the establishment of fast-track courts to ensure speedy trials in examination paper leak cases, declaring that those who jeopardise the future of students would face stringent punishment.
The student agitation over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak has now entered its fourth week, with demonstrations continuing at Jantar Mantar despite heavy security deployment. Protesters are demanding accountability for repeated examination leaks, comprehensive reforms to the examination system, action against those responsible and the resignation of the Education Minister.
