LIVE: Fresh police crackdown on Jantar Mantar protesters; tear gas fired, internet cut off

RS adjourned for the day as govt accuses Opposition of not allowing NEET debate

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Wednesday after the government accused the Opposition led by the Congress of bringing in new conditions to not allow a discussion on the NEET paper leak issue.

Soon after the Upper House met at 3 pm following multiple adjournments during the day, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "I want to tell the Congress party through you (the Chair), that you (Congress) are giving the wrong message outside that you want a discussion. When the government is itself saying that it wants a discussion, they (Congress) are imposing conditions to not allow a discussion to take place by again and again coming up with excuses." Rijiju said the government is ready to discuss all issues, but the Chairman will decide under which rule a debate can happen.

Both DMK's Tiruchi Siva and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge appealed to Harivansh, who was in the Chair, to allow a discussion on the NEET paper leak issue to take place under Rule 267, citing the current situation as "rarest of rare".

Amid the uproar, Hairvansh adjourned the House for the day.

It’s a party of barely 20 people: Kalyan Banerjee slams TMC rebels

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee has lashed out at the party’s rebel MPs following his suspension from the Lok Sabha for the remaining part of the Monsoon Session.

#WATCH | Delhi | On his suspension from the Lok Sabha for the remaining part of the session, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee says, "...What will they get by suspending me from here?... It is a party of barely twenty people. They (20 TMC rebel MPs) held a meeting in Kolkata after a month… pic.twitter.com/oeCc2oTLYQ

— ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2026

Delhi HC issues notice to Centre, police on action against protesters at CJP rally

The Delhi High Court has issued notice to the Centre and Delhi Police on PILs alleging excessive force during the July 20 protest. The court also directed preservation of all CCTV footage, body camera footage and other digital records related to the incident as per the established SOPs. The next date of hearing is September 11.

Why can’t govt ask Pradhan to resign first and then hold a debate on NEET?: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav criticised the government for avoiding taking responsibility for the exam paper leaks despite admitting that there were irregularities in the conduct of NEET.

"Our demand, along with that of the opposition, the students, and the youth, is almost the same: first, resignation (of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan), followed by a discussion. Their demands should be met. The students and youth have been demanding for days that the paper leak is not limited to a single examination. There have been more than 150 paper leaks across the country, including more than 20 in Uttar Pradesh. Imagine how many students and their families are distressed, suffering, and disappointed because of this...Why not resign inside the House first and then hold a debate?...” he said.

Speaking about police against Opposition MPs outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on Tuesday, he said, “When Rahul Gandhi, I, and other MPs went there, our clothes were also pulled and torn. Since when has the police started behaving like this, especially with elected representatives?... The government itself acknowledged that there were irregularities in the NEET examination and conducted a re-examination in some cases. Yet it continues to avoid taking responsibility. We should be allowed to raise our concerns in the House..."

#WATCH | Delhi | Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav says, "Our demand, along with that of the opposition, the students, and the youth, is almost the same: first, resignation (of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan), followed by a discussion. Their demands should be met. The students… pic.twitter.com/HZ56MW7oQT

— ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2026

It's Day 25 of Wangchuk's fast. PM still silent: Abhijeet Dipke

Launching a stinging attack at the prime minister, CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke said that Narendra Modi is yet to break his silence even though it has been 25 days since climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has been holding a hunger strike. 

 "It's Day 25 of Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike. The PM is yet to break his silence," Dipke wrote on X.

"Politics is not just about doing election rallies and winning elections. It's about being accountable and answerable to people," he said, asking why the prime minister had not reached out to Wangchuk, why police had acted "so brutally" against protesting students and why Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan continued in office despite the controversy surrounding alleged examination irregularities.

BJP stages protest against Congress in Kerala

BJP workers in Kerala took out a rally to the KPCC office on Wednesday, alleging that the Congress attempted to incite violence in front of the prime minister’s residence during their dharna on Tuesday.

#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam: BJP workers marched to the KPCC office alleging that the Congress attempted to incite violence in front of the Prime Minister's residence when they protested outside LKM in Delhi yesterday. pic.twitter.com/bWRFDNCnCv

— ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2026

SP delegation to meet Wangchuk today

A delegation of the Samajwadi Party is slated to meet activist Sonam Wangchuk at Medanta Hospital this evening to appeal to him to break his indefinite fast.

Abhijeet Dipke urges Sonam Wangchuk to end hunger strike

In a video posted on his X account, Dipke said it has been 25 days since the climate activist has been fasting and the CJP wouldn’t want him to risk his life. Urging Wangchuk to break his fast, Dipke assured him that the protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will continue.

“We request Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike. The country needs him, and his life is far too precious to be put at further risk. The peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar will continue until our demands are met,” Dipke said in his post on X. 

Opposition looking for solutions on streets, not Parliament: Rajnath Singh

In an apparent dig at the Congress, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that some people were attempting to use students and youth of the country as their political tool and that he is confident that the youth will see through such attempts and choose the path of development and nation building.

#WATCH | Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, "...It is highly unfortunate that a few people are attempting to use the students and youth of our country as their political tool. Under the leadership of PM Modi, our Govt is committed to fulfilling the aspirations of the… pic.twitter.com/rP5eK6FBak

— ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2026

“It is highly unfortunate that a few people are attempting to use the students and youth of our country as their political tool. Under the leadership of PM Modi, our Govt is committed to fulfilling the aspirations of the students and youth, as well as their welfare...I am confident that the mature youth of India understands all such attempts and they will choose the path of development and nation building,” ANI quoted him as saying.

“We are also committed to ensure that there be no injustice to anyone, especially our youth and students. A few leaders in the Opposition are creating a manufactured sense of anger among the people. I believe this is a failed attempt to mislead the students. We are sensitive toward the youth. The monsoon session is underway and the government has spoken about discussing all issues. But the Opposition is making inappropriate attempts at looking for solutions on the streets and not in Parliament...If the Opposition is serious, they should not create a ruckus in the session, and rather discuss issues there," he said.

Walloping students in middle of street is shocking: Tharoor slams govt

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has lashed out at the Centre over the lathi-charge on protesters, saying the "walloping" of students was shocking and the whole issue was "very badly" handled.

Tharoor, who visited the Jantar Mantar protest site on Tuesday night and interacted with several students injured during the 'Sansad Chalo' march, said he heard painful testimonies of students and was perturbed by them.

Dressed in black in solidarity with protesting students, Tharoor said it reflected the sadness of what is happening in the country.

Asked about the BJP's charge that the Congress was politicising the issue, he said, the fact is that politics enters the picture the moment an issue cannot be raised in Parliament.

"But the real issue is the feelings of the students. They are the future of the country. And if they are feeling betrayed, there ought to be some opportunity to reach out to them. I'm really surprised that the government has allowed matters to get out of hand like this and has greeted the students with violence and lathis," he told reporters in Parliament House complex.

"That was really a bad idea. It was very badly done. Walloping the students in the middle of the street is just shocking," Tharoor said.