Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Jul 21: Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and several other prominent leaders were detained by the police before their massive protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence could escalate. The opposition leaders were staging a dharna protesting against the NEET paper leak scam and the police brutality inflicted on youth protesters on Monday.

Congress leaders had earlier announced that they would continue their sit-in protest outside the prime minister's residence throughout the night. However, at around 6:40 pm today, the Delhi police, accompanied by senior police officials and security forces, arrived at the spot and began clearing the protesters. Rahul Gandhi, however, remained adamant, sitting on the road and insisting that he would not budge until their demands were met.

Despite repeated police instructions, Rahul Gandhi refused to withdraw from the protest. Consequently, more than 10 police personnel surrounded him, forcefully lifted him from the spot, and physically carried him to a waiting bus before taking him away.

Visuals of the police holding Rahul Gandhi by his hands and legs as they carried him away have gone viral on social media. Leaders of the Congress and the INDIA bloc have strongly condemned the police action, accusing the government of adopting anti-democratic methods to suppress the voices of the youth and students.