LIVE: All Congress leaders, CJP protesters released from detention; Wangchuk shifted to Medanta
Rahul, Priyanka, Akhilesh stage surprise sit-in outside PM Modi's residence, demanding his resignation; detained for hours after talks with govt fail
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav were on Tuesday (July 21) evening removed from outside the Prime Minister's official residence in New Delhi where they were staging a sit-in protest demanding his resignation over the police action against students during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)'s protest march the day before. The leaders were detained for hours before being released late in the evening.
The protest came in response to the pitched battle that ensued between protesters and police personnel during the CJP-led ‘Sansad Chalo’ rally to Parliament on Monday, which was also the first day of the Monsoon Session, held to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
According to Delhi Police, more than 118 police personnel sustained injuries, while the number of injured protesters was 60. A young woman injured in police action is on ventilator support at the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, PTI quoted hospital sources as saying on Tuesday. The woman sustained injuries on Monday.
Rahul, Priyanka stage sit-in
On Tuesday, the Gandhi siblings, accompanied by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, protested outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Kalyan Marg residence demanding his resignation. They were joined by several party MPs and leaders, who raised slogans against Modi.
The Congress leaders earlier met some of the students injured in Monday's police action at the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. Despite Monday's police action, protesters camped at Jantar Mantar through the night braving heavy rains. On Tuesday morning, volunteers cleaned the protest site, while CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke apologised to supporters injured in the police action.
'Girls beaten up by male police officers'
Heavy security remained in place around the protest venue as volunteers were seen cleaning the stage, the only structure left standing after police removed the tents and other temporary installations on Monday.
In an X post, Dipke apologised to those injured in the crackdown.
"I apologise to all our supporters, especially the girls who were brutally beaten up by male police officers. We could have done better. I could have done better to protect you from the inhumane actions of the Delhi Police," he wrote.
"To protect one Dharmendra Pradhan, who is responsible for the deaths of more than 20 students, the government was willing to spill the blood of many more young students," Dipke alleged.
"If you were injured and see this, please DM me. I want to speak to you personally and apologise. We will keep fighting for all of you," he said in another post, while separately describing the developments as, "Not a democracy." CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said activist Sonam Wangchuk's indefinite hunger strike had entered its 24th day.
"Sonam Wangchuk is on the 24th day of his hunger strike. He is still fighting for us. We won't stop. Pradhan has to be sacked," Ranka said in a post on X.
Monday's protest
Monday saw thousands of protesters, carrying placards and the tricolour, fanning out across the city and chanting slogans of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai", "Jai Bhim, "Vande Mataram" and "Dharmendra Pradhan Istifa Do".
As the Delhi Police cracked down on the protesters, the CJP alleged brutality and accused the security personnel of using excessive force against protesters during its "Sansad Chalo" march, alleging that several students were injured and Sonam Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, was pushed around. CJP also claimed that pellet guns were used on protesters.
Police instead accused the protesters of attacking security personnel with stones and other objects, attempting to breach barricades and vandalising government property.
FIR filed, security tightened
Delhi Police have registered four FIRs so far and are in the process of filing two more in connection with violence, vandalism and other incidents during the "Sansad Chalo", PTI said quoting sources.
Security has also been beefed up across the national capital with heavy deployment of police and paramilitary personnel visible at sensitive locations.
Read our related stories:
A warning shot for 2029? Why Delhi protests hold key for Opposition too
Why CJP’s protest stands apart from previous mass movements
CJP protests in pictures: The day ‘Chalo Sansad’ march turned Delhi into a battlefield
CJP conundrum: Is it just a political 'pest' to get swatted away?
Follow this space for more live updates from the protest and also Parliament's Monsoon Session.
Live Updates
- 21 July 2026 2:29 PM IST
Mamata says she'll join CJP protest if needed
Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday expressed support for the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) agitation over alleged examination irregularities, saying she was prepared to join the protest if the situation demanded it.
Her remarks came a day after the CJP's "Sansad Chalo" march in Delhi ended in clashes with police as thousands of protesters attempted to reach Parliament.
The confrontation left several protesters and police personnel injured, with both sides accusing each other of using excessive force. The incident has since triggered sharp political reactions, with several Opposition leaders criticising the police action and demanding accountability.
- 21 July 2026 2:17 PM IST
Police used force after barricades were breached: ACP
Delhi Police ACP Jagdev Singh on Tuesday said officers intervened to move vulnerable individuals away from the protest site during Monday's march towards Parliament.
Speaking to PTI, Singh claimed the police had “rescued multiple women, who were being put forward to face the barricading, children and specially abled people along with many elderly citizens also.”
He acknowledged that force was used during the operation but maintained it came only after the situation escalated. “Agreeably, the police used force against them, but it only happened when they began to break barricades and created unrest,” Singh said.
- 21 July 2026 2:09 PM IST
Police warned protesters 100 Times: ACP Jagdev Singh
Delhi Police ACP Jagdev Singh on Tuesday defended the police action during Monday's protest march, alleging that demonstrators repeatedly ignored warnings issued by the authorities.
Speaking to PTI, Singh claimed the police had “warned the protestors more than a hundred times and they ignored.”
He further said, “The crowd that gathered here was unruly and had not taken any permission from the authorities for the protest. Parliament is not a place where we could allow such a mob to reach.”
- 21 July 2026 2:08 PM IST
Woman injured in CJP protest on ventilator at RML Hospital
A woman injured during the police action at the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) protest in Delhi remains on ventilator support at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, reported PTI quoting sources on Tuesday.
The woman sustained injuries during Monday's clashes that broke out as thousands of CJP supporters marched towards Parliament, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities.
"A young woman injured in police action during CJP protest is on ventilator in RML," reported PTI quoting sources.
Delhi Police had said on Monday that more than 118 police personnel were injured during the protest, while around 60 protesters also sustained injuries.
- 21 July 2026 1:57 PM IST
Goa BJP leader under fire for 'cockroaches with termites' remark
A social media post by a senior Goa BJP leader on the Cockroach Janta Party's protest over the NEET exam paper leak sparked outrage on Tuesday (July 21), prompting the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party to demand an apology.
BJP leader and former MP Narendra Sawaikar's social media post, which featured an illustrated map of India infested with cockroaches and termites, drew sharp rebukes on Tuesday (July 21) from opposition leaders, who accused the ruling party of branding citizens as anti-national for questioning the government.
"Cockroaches with the termites! Save the nation!" Sawaikar, the vice-president of the BJP's Goa unit, wrote, posting the image on X.
Reacting to the post, Goa Congress's working president Sunil Kawthankar said the BJP leader should apologise for the remark within 24 hours.
Criticism of the government should not be equated with being "anti-national", he said, accusing the saffron party of weakening democratic institutions.
Echoing the Congress leader's sentiments, AAP MLA Cruz Silva condemned Sawaikar's "termites" remark against protesting students, labelling it as "shameful and unacceptable".
- 21 July 2026 1:53 PM IST
Diljit Dosanjh condemns police action on CJP protesters
Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh on Tuesday (July 21) said the police action against protesters during their "Sansad Chalo" march was "wrong" and insisted that the government must listen to students' demands, while acknowledging that he could once again be labelled "anti-national".
"What happened today was very wrong. Students should not have been treated like this. I request the authorities to listen to the students' demands. The voice of the people is the voice of God," Diljit wrote in Punjabi on his Instagram Stories.
The actor also recalled the backlash and legal issues he faced when he supported the yearlong farmers’ protests in 2020-2021.
"I have already been labelled an 'anti-national' many times. Even now, I know I will be called anti-national again. After the farmers' protest, I faced a lot of backlash and legal problems that I still cannot even discuss. The rest, God is watching everything. May Baba bless everyone," the "Main Vaapas Aaunga" actor said.
Earlier this month, Diljit had distanced himself from the CJP protest, saying he is an artiste, not a politician.
- 21 July 2026 1:48 PM IST
Centre agrees to shift Sonam Wangchuk to Medanta Hospital
The Delhi High Court on Monday (July 21) heard a plea filed by Dr Gitanjali Angmo, wife of activist Sonam Wangchuk, challenging a Single Judge's order refusing to allow his transfer from Safdarjung Hospital to a private hospital of his choice.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, informed the court that the government had no objection to shifting Wangchuk to Medanta Hospital. However, he urged that Wangchuk remain under continuous medical supervision and not be discharged except on the advice of Medanta's doctors.
The Bench proposed transferring Wangchuk to Medanta along with all his medical records from Safdarjung Hospital and said it would pass orders after the lunch recess.
- 21 July 2026 1:27 PM IST
Nadda visits injured protesters at Delhi Hospitals
Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Tuesday visited Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and Lady Hardinge Hospital to assess the condition of those injured during the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) march towards Parliament a day earlier.
According to sources, the minister met hospital officials and reviewed the medical care being provided to the injured protesters. Doctors briefed him on the patients' condition and informed him that all those admitted were under medical supervision and receiving the required treatment.
The visit came a day after thousands participated in the CJP's "Chalo Sansad" march, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities.
Delhi Police said around 60 protesters were injured during the clashes, while more than 118 police personnel, including senior officers, also sustained injuries.
On Monday, Nadda had met two CJP representatives and assured them that the government would internally deliberate on the demands raised by the organisation.
- 21 July 2026 1:16 PM IST
Dipke urges protesters not to give up
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday urged protesters not to give up alleging that the authorities want them to lose hope.
“They want you to lose hope. We cannot lost hope. Yesterday was just the first such call we gave,” Dipke said in a message to protesters as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
- 21 July 2026 1:00 PM IST
Delhi HC admits PIL over police action during CJP protest
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (July 21) admitted a PIL which accused the Delhi Police of resorting to the use of excessive force on protesters during the protest by CJP, reported ANI.
The report further stated that the matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia.
