Politics & Governance
Rahul Gandhi detained during New Delhi education protests
Indian police detained opposition leader Rahul Gandhi during youth-led protests in New Delhi calling for education reforms, after he called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resign.
The demonstrations, led by the fast-growing Cockroach Janta Party online movement, entered a second day in the Indian capital. The movement has demanded changes to the education system and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after repeated testing scandals.
Thousands of people joined the protests. Marches on Monday ended in violent clashes with police. Police said 60 civilians and 118 police personnel were injured.
Gandhi, the Congress Party leader and leader of the opposition in the lower house of parliament, said Modi should resign “for destroying the future of India's youth”. He then staged a sit-in outside the prime minister's residence. Gandhi said the government did not want accountability or a parliamentary debate on the issue.
Video from the scene showed Gandhi and other lawmakers being forced into a bus by police and removed from the area. Police, some wearing body armour, appeared to hold Gandhi by his arms and legs as they moved through large crowds toward the vehicle. Protesters appeared to try to board the bus before and as it left.
Gandhi shared images of his removal by security forces and said the demonstration would continue. Modi had not directly commented on the protests at the time of the report.
On Monday, protesters had gathered to demand Pradhan's resignation. Police fired tear gas and charged with batons, and protesters threw stones at security forces, in what the source described as the capital's largest demonstrations in five years.
Sandeep Dixit, a senior Congress leader, said the events of Monday had trampled on the Constitution. The Cockroach Janta Party said it would keep pressing for Pradhan's removal, while thousands of protesters remained at the Jantar Mantar protest site on Tuesday, many calling for wider education changes.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke urged protesters not to lose hope. Organisers condemned what they called the authorities' high-handedness and claimed hundreds of protesters had been injured, a figure higher than the police tally. CJP spokesman Ashutosh Ranka, who met senior minister JP Nadda on Monday, said the government had not responded to the movement's demands.
Parliament was adjourned on Tuesday after opposition benches demanded discussion of alleged brutality against students.
The CJP has gained millions of social media followers since its launch in May. The movement grew after school examination scandals damaged confidence in India's testing system. About 2.2 million aspiring medical students took a re-examination under tight security last month after an earlier test was cancelled following a question paper leak. Another scandal involved online marking of tests taken by nearly two million high school students.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the government, saying it acted quickly after the exam paper leaks by arresting several people. He said Modi had called for a “foolproof system” to prevent future irregularities during a closed-door meeting with allies.
Update
Police said 60 civilians and 118 police personnel were injured in Monday's clashes.
Thousands of protesters remained at Delhi's Jantar Mantar protest site on Tuesday.
Organisers claimed hundreds of protesters had been injured, more than the police tally.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government had acted swiftly after exam paper leaks by arresting several people and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted a foolproof system to prevent future irregularities.
The source gives additional background on the Cockroach Janta Party movement, including its May launch, social media following and the examination scandals that prompted it.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 July 2026 at 19:19:18 UTC.
Update
Rahul Gandhi staged a sit-in outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence in New Delhi.
AFP journalists saw Gandhi and other parliamentarians being put into a bus by police and taken away from the area.
Gandhi later shared images of himself being carried by police, including one in which he appeared to have blood around his nose.
Police said 60 protesters and at least 118 police personnel were injured in Monday's clashes.
The Cockroach Janta Party said it would continue pressing for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's removal, while thousands remained at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday.
Parliament was adjourned after opposition benches demanded discussion of alleged brutality against students.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government had acted swiftly after exam paper leaks and that Modi had called for a foolproof system to prevent future irregularities.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 July 2026 at 15:59:32 UTC.
Update
Rahul Gandhi staged a sit-in outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence before being taken away in a bus with other parliamentarians, according to AFP journalists.
The Cockroach Janta Party said it would keep pressing for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's removal, with thousands of protesters remaining at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday.
Parliament was adjourned after opposition benches demanded a discussion on alleged brutality against students.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the government and said arrests had been made after exam paper leaks.
Modi has not commented directly on the protests, according to the source.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 July 2026 at 14:45:48 UTC.
Update
Delhi Police said 60 protesters and at least 118 police personnel were injured in Monday's clashes.
Hundreds of protesters remained at Delhi's Jantar Mantar protest site on Tuesday, while turnout was lower than Monday.
The Cockroach Janta Party said it would continue demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's removal.
Parliament was adjourned on Tuesday after opposition benches demanded a discussion on alleged police brutality against students.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the government and said several people had been arrested after exam paper leaks.
Rijiju said Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a foolproof system to prevent future irregularities at a closed-door meeting with allies.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 July 2026 at 11:26:54 UTC.
Update
The opposition leader is Rahul Gandhi.
Gandhi demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resignation over a police crackdown on students seeking education-system reforms.
Gandhi said on social media that Modi must resign for "destroying the future of India's youth".
Gandhi led a march with other members of parliament toward the prime minister's residence in New Delhi.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 July 2026 at 10:39:41 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The number of injured protesters is disputed: police gave a lower civilian injury figure, while organisers claimed hundreds were injured.
Modi had not directly commented on the protests at the time of the report.
Source
AFP news report published on .