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Rajya Sabha adjourned till 3 pm amid Opposition protests

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 3 pm on Monday after repeated sloganeering by Opposition members disrupted proceedings over the NEET paper leak controversy and the alleged use of force against protesting students.

The adjournment came amid a continuing standoff between the government and the Opposition, which has stalled legislative business for several days during the Monsoon Session. Opposition parties have been demanding an immediate discussion on the alleged police action against students and greater accountability over examination-related irregularities, while the government has maintained that it is prepared to debate the issue but wants normal proceedings to resume.

The disruption in the Upper House followed similar scenes in the Lok Sabha, where the government sought to take up the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, aimed at strengthening penalties for paper leaks, even as Opposition MPs continued their protests inside Parliament.

Birla gives parties 3 hours to break anti-paper leak deadlock

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday adjourned the House till 5 pm, giving the government and Opposition three hours to resolve their differences and ensure a discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill.

After the House reconvened at 2 pm, Birla said six hours had been earmarked for debating the Bill and indicated that the duration could be extended if members wanted more time. He reminded MPs that Parliament was meant for debating legislation rather than raising slogans.

The standoff continued as the Opposition pressed the government for a statement on the alleged use of force against students during the July 20 protest in Delhi and demonstrations elsewhere.

The deadlock has disrupted legislative business since the Monsoon Session began on July 20, with only two Bills introduced so far.

Meanwhile, the government tabled the amendment Bill, proposing tougher penalties of up to 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50 lakh for those involved in paper leaks. The legislation was introduced by Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh amid Opposition protests over the alleged police crackdown on students.

Congress demands PM's apology over Bihar AK-47 firing

The Congress on Monday stepped up its attack on the BJP over allegations that police used AK-47 rifles against student protesters in Bihar, with senior leaders accusing the government of using excessive force and demanding accountability.

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi claimed, "The entire system is downright murderous against students. Reports are coming in that AK-47s have been fired at protesting students in Bihar, and hundreds have been arrested and booked under FIRs."

He questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, "Modi ji, what happened to your promise that no FIRs would be filed against students and that they would be released? Instead, they are being subjected to deadly attacks and brutality."

"Pellet guns were used against students in Delhi, and AK-47s in Bihar. Whether it is Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, or Delhi -- the pattern is the same everywhere," Gandhi said, while urging the Prime Minister to apologise and punish those responsible.

The BJP rejected the allegations, accusing Gandhi of spreading falsehoods.

Reacting to the controversy, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "The students are not terrorists," while party general secretary K C Venugopal sought an explanation from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the alleged use of AK-47s in Bihar and pellet guns in Delhi.

Govt ready to pass exam reform Bill sans Opposition debate: Rijiju

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said the government would go ahead with the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, even if the Opposition refuses to participate in the debate.

"If the Opposition parties do not want to discuss the Examination Reforms Bill, the government will get the Bill passed without discussion," Rijiju said in the Lok Sabha as quoted by ANI.

Speaker Om Birla later urged all parties to hold consultations so that discussion on the Bill could begin at 5 pm. The BJP-led NDA has proposed an eight-hour debate and submitted a list of MPs who will participate.

The Congress and other Opposition parties have demanded that the Bill be referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee or a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). They have also sought a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the alleged assault on students before the debate.

Congress MP Tariq Anwar said, "It is the stand of the Congress party, and Rahul Gandhi has reiterated this several times, that the PM and the government should apologise for the way students were treated. There is a lot of anger among the people. Tragically, the double-engine government is bent on suppressing students. How did they (Police) even have the courage to fire at the students?"

Defending the legislation, Rijiju urged the Opposition to join the debate, saying, "Provisions have been made to impose severe and time-bound punishment on anyone found involved in a paper leak. If a discussion is not allowed even after all these measures, it will send the wrong message."

Jairam slams BJP's welcome for Dharmendra Pradhan

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Monday criticised the BJP over the reception accorded to former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan by party MPs, calling it an insult to the country's youth in the wake of the paper leak controversy.

In a post on X, Ramesh said, "Today, BJP MPs are welcoming former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as if he has achieved some great feat."

Referring to Pradhan's resignation, the Congress leader alleged that the former minister had failed to acknowledge the concerns surrounding the paper leak issue.

"The country has already seen how, instead of apologizing for the paper leak in his resignation, Pradhan accused the students themselves of being misled, and after that, all central ministers praised him on social media," Ramesh said.

Calling the episode "utterly shameful," he added that it amounted to "a grave insult to the country's youth."

Ramesh also questioned the BJP over its stand on Pradhan's tenure, asking, "The BJP should make it clear whether, despite the paper leaks, the crumbling education system, the lathi charges on students, and the firing of pellet guns, Pradhan's work was commendable?"

"If not, then what is this honor for? And if yes, then does the BJP want to send this very message to the country's youth and students?" he asked.

"The country demands answers," Ramesh said.

Tejashwi seeks judicial probe into Siwan AK-47 firing

Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Monday questioned the action taken against police personnel seen firing an AK-47 during the protest in Siwan, calling the move an "eyewash" and demanding a judicial inquiry into the incident.

Referring to the reported agreement on the student protests, Yadav said, "One thing is clear, when an agreement has been reached and JP Nadda has said that cases against protesters will be withdrawn across the country, that all arrested students will be released then this was a violation."

He also questioned the circumstances under which the weapon was used, asking, "On whose orders was AK-47 fired? If you see the footage, it was not aerial firing. Firing was done after setting an aim."

Claiming that students were injured in the incident, Yadav said, "Three students suffered bullet injuries. I met all three yesterday."

The RJD leader alleged that the action announced so far was insufficient, saying, "But this action is just an eyewash. Has the action been taken against SP? Was the order issued by the CM, who is also the HM?"

Targeting Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Yadav said, "Samrat Choudhary himself has a criminal image and he is trying to turn Police into goons as well."

"We demand a judicial inquiry into this," he added.

Lok Sabha adjourned till 5pm amid protests over anti-paper leak Bill

Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 taken up for consideration amid protests by Opposition MPs. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla says six hours allocated for discussion on the Bill but he is willing to extend the time to allow maximum participation and suggestions from MPs.

Birla says as many as 91 amendments have been sought in the Bill by various MPs. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju says Opposition and Congress in particular were disrupting House proceedings to prevent discussion on an issue of national importance. Birla adjourns House till 5PM after urging all parties to take the next three hours to analyse the Bill and evolve consensus on allowing a discussion on the Bill.

Manish Tewari calls alleged use of pellet guns, AK-47 on student protesters 'inhuman'

Congress MP Manish Tewari on Monday criticised the use of force against student protesters, describing the alleged use of pellet guns in Delhi and an AK-47 in Bihar as "completely unjustified" and "inhuman."

"Is it appropriate to use pellet guns and AK-47s on unarmed and non-violent protesters? The straightforward answer is that this is completely unjustified. Whenever there is a protest, an announcement is made that Section 144 is in force, and the protesters must leave the area. If the protesters do not disperse, then water cannons are used, followed by lathicharge and tear gas. If the situation becomes more sensitive, only then does the senior-most officer order firing. Last Monday, you used pellet guns on unarmed students, and a video from Bihar is going viral showing a constable chasing protestors with an AK-47 - this is inhuman," Tewari said.

CJP seeks release of detained protesters, asks Centre to honour assurances

Days after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called off its nationwide protest, reports have surfaced of protesters being detained and arrested in different parts of the country. Reacting to the developments, the party has sought assurances from the Centre, particularly Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, urging the government to honour the commitments it had made before the agitation was withdrawn.

"The Cockroach Janta Party had called off its nationwide protest only after the Government of India assured us that no punitive action would be taken against any protester, either now or in the future, in any BJP-ruled or NDA-ruled state. The reports emerging from these states are therefore a matter of grave concern," CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said in a statement.

The party said one of its key conditions for ending the protest was the government's assurance that no FIRs would be filed against those who had participated in the movement.

"We call upon the Government of India, particularly @JPNadda ji and @DrJitendraSingh ji, to immediately honour the assurance given to us by ensuring the release of those detained and by directing that no coercive or retaliatory action is taken against any protester anywhere in the country. The FIRs registered ought to be withdrawn too," the statement added.

BJP alleges Rahul trying to 'manufacture protest' with 'false' AK-47 claim

The BJP on Monday accused Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of trying to "manufacture a protest" and create an atmosphere of anarchy by alleging that AK-47 rifles were used against agitating students in Bihar, and demanded that he apologise for spreading "canards and falsity".

The ruling party termed Gandhi's statement "not only deeply unfortunate, but a sin".

The reaction came after Gandhi, in a post on X, claimed that reports suggested AK-47 rifles had been used against protesting students in Bihar and that hundreds had been arrested and booked under FIRs. He demanded action against those responsible for the alleged attack on the students.

BJP national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sambit Patra said it is "a matter of great shame" that the Leader of the Opposition has shown "a great deal of irresponsibility".

"While he posted on X and spoke about police using AK-47s on student protesters, it is absolutely condemnable that such falsity is spread by a person who occupies the post of Leader of the Opposition in India," Patra told reporters in the Parliament House complex.