New Delhi: Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday after leading a protest march towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, demanding accountability over alleged paper leaks and action against the police response to recent student protests. The demonstration ended after police removed protesters from the site and took several leaders away in buses.

Rahul Gandhi, who staged a sit-in near the Prime Minister's residence, refused to leave despite repeated appeals from the police. Visuals from the protest showed him being forcibly removed by security personnel, with reports indicating he sustained a minor nose injury during the detention. Addressing the media after the police action, Gandhi accused the government of suppressing democratic protests and reiterated the Congress' demand for justice for students affected by examination paper leaks.

In an unusual development, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh visited the protest site and held discussions with Rahul Gandhi. However, the talks failed to produce a breakthrough. Congress leaders said they refused to withdraw the protest unless the government agreed to a discussion in Parliament on the paper leak issue and sought the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Jitendra Singh later claimed Rahul Gandhi had initially agreed to end the protest if Parliament discussed the issue, but later added the minister's resignation as a fresh condition.

The protest came a day after demonstrations by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), during which clashes erupted between protesters and Delhi Police. While protesters alleged excessive use of force, including lathi charges and tear gas, police maintained that demonstrators turned violent, attacked personnel and damaged public property, leaving more than 100 police personnel injured.

The paper leak controversy also disrupted proceedings in Parliament for the second consecutive day, with the Congress accusing the government of refusing to allow a debate on the issue. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said preventing examination paper leaks is a national responsibility and reiterated that the government had acted swiftly after reports of irregularities in the NEET examination emerged, leading to arrests and investigations. The Centre has maintained that it is willing to discuss the issue but will not tolerate violence during protests.