Agencies | New Delhi:
Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav were detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday after leading an Opposition protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence over the police action against protesting students and the NEET controversy.
The demonstration, led by senior Congress leaders, began around 3.30 p.m. as Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by several party colleagues, including the Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Kerala, staged a sit-in protest demanding accountability over the handling of the student protests and calling for a discussion on the issue in Parliament.
As police personnel moved in to disperse the gathering, dramatic scenes unfolded with security officials removing protesting leaders from the site. Rahul Gandhi was seen resisting detention by lying on the ground while police attempted to escort him away. During the scuffle, he reportedly sustained a minor injury below his eye, according to one of his aides.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also detained amid high drama. Visuals from the protest showed her holding onto the door of a police vehicle as it began moving before she was eventually taken into custody along with other party leaders.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who joined the protest in solidarity with the Congress, was also detained by the police as authorities cleared the protest site.
The Congress has intensified its attack on the Central Government over the NEET controversy, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and seeking a detailed discussion on the matter in Parliament. The party has also called for justice for students who have been protesting over alleged irregularities and has accused the government of attempting to suppress democratic protests.
The detentions sparked sharp criticism from Opposition parties, which alleged that the government was stifling dissent and preventing elected representatives from raising issues of public importance. Police, however, maintained that necessary action was taken to enforce security restrictions and maintain law and order in the high-security area surrounding the Prime Minister’s residence.
