IN A dramatic turn of events, Opposition leaders, including Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Samajwadi Party’s (SP)Akhilesh Yadav, were forcibly removed by police on Tuesday after they staged a dharna outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence here, demanding his resignation. The surprise sit-in in the high-security zone sent the government into a tizzy, prompting it to rush Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh, along with Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, to persuade the opposition leaders to vacate the sensitive site. Gandhi’s discussion with the minister lasted a few minutes, after which Singh and the home secretary left as the talks remained inconclusive. Soon after Singh left the protest site, police forcibly removed and detained Gandhi and other leaders in the evening.

 

Congress leaders said Gandhi was taken to the Chhatrasal stadium in Model Town after his detention. As police swooped down on the site, Gandhi, who is the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, was seen lying on the ground and resisting as the security personnel tried to pick him up. The Congress leader was hurt in the process. “Democracy in India is happening right now,” Gandhi told reporters as police tried to remove him from the site. An aide of the former Congress chief told PTI that Gandhi suffered an injury below the eye, as well as minor injuries on his hands and legs. Later, Gandhi shared pictures on X of police removing him from the protest site and said, “Modiji, try every pressure, exert all your might -- this fight for justice for students will not stop now.” There were dramatic scenes, with Priyanka Gandhi hanging on the door of the police bus even after it started moving.