New Delhi, July 21: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was released after being briefly detained by Delhi Police during a high-profile protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg on Tuesday. Several senior Opposition leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress MPs and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, were also taken into custody before being released later.
The protest was organised by the Congress to demand accountability from the Centre over the alleged police action against student protesters and to press for the resignation of the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister. Party leaders accused the government of suppressing peaceful democratic protests and failing to address concerns raised by students.
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Opposition leaders, marched towards the Prime Minister’s residence after assembling at Kharge’s residence. As the group approached the high-security zone, Delhi Police personnel stopped the march and prevented the protesters from proceeding further.
Visuals from the protest showed Congress leaders staging a sit-in outside the restricted area while raising slogans against the government. Security personnel later moved in to disperse the gathering and escorted several leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, into police vehicles. Gandhi initially resisted being moved from the protest site before eventually being taken away by police.
Ahead of the demonstration, Rahul Gandhi had appealed to citizens through social media to join what he described as a sustained protest. He said that any attack on students was an attack on every Indian family and asserted that the government would have to answer for its actions. Calling for public participation, he urged citizens who believed students deserved justice to join the demonstration outside the Prime Minister’s residence.
Congress leaders claimed that discussions with representatives of the Central government failed to produce a breakthrough. According to the party, the Centre did not provide satisfactory assurances on key issues raised during the protest, including demands related to student concerns and accountability.
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, who met the protesting lawmakers along with senior government officials, offered a different account. He maintained that the government had assured the Opposition that Parliament would discuss the issues raised, but alleged that the Congress later withdrew from the understanding and chose to continue its agitation.
Following several hours of protest and police action, Rahul Gandhi and the detained leaders were released. The incident has further intensified the political confrontation between the ruling BJP and the Opposition, with both sides accusing each other of politicising the issue and disrupting democratic processes.
The Congress has indicated that it will continue its campaign on student-related issues and has vowed to intensify its protests in the coming days, while the government has defended the security arrangements and its handling of the demonstration.
