New Delhi, July 20, 2026

The confrontation between protesting students and police in New Delhi has intensified the political debate over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations. As concerns over paper leaks and technical glitches continue to dominate public discourse, the opposition has accused the government of failing to address students' grievances, turning the issue into a wider discussion on accountability and education reforms.

The Delhi Police fired tear gas and baton-charged protesters on Monday after they attempted to march towards Parliament, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in major examinations, including question paper leaks and technical glitches. The police action drew sharp criticism from Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who said students were exercising their democratic right by raising concerns over the examination system.

Reacting to the incident, Rahul Gandhi said, "There's absolutely nothing wrong in what they (youth) are doing and it is disgusting what the government is doing, what the police are doing. This is absolutely no way to behave, tear-gassing students, lathicharging students is not democratic, is not India's way and it's not the way it should be done." He further added, "Boys and girls who are walking the streets of Delhi are not criminals, they are demanding their rights. Their rights are to have an education system that respects them, to have an education system that's fair, to have an education system that's working." Along with a video of the protest, Gandhi also described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "the most anti-youth prime minister" and, in a separate social media post, alleged that repeated examination controversies had impacted crores of students while no one responsible had been punished.

The developments have once again brought the spotlight on the integrity of the country's examination system and the growing demand for transparency and accountability. With students continuing to seek reforms and the opposition stepping up its criticism, the issue remains at the centre of the national political conversation.