Congress, INDIA bloc MPs pay homage to students who died over NEET paper leaks at Gandhi Smriti
Several leaders of the Congress and INDIA bloc parties on Thursday (July 23, 2026) paid homage to all those students who took their lives due
Several leaders of the Congress and INDIA bloc parties on Thursday (July 23, 2026) paid homage to all those students who took their lives due to paper leaks, and said they stood strongly behind the agitating students and their demands. The opposition leaders first assembled at the residence of Rahul Gandhi on 5, Sunehri Bagh Road, and reiterated their full support for the demands of the protesting students. Follow Jantar Mantar protest LIVE updates From there, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, led them to the Gandhi Smriti on a bus. On reaching there, Mr. Gandhi and the opposition MPs paid homage to the departed students with folded hands, and later sang the national anthem. Gandhi carried a small copy of the Constitution with him while opposition MPs Mahua Majhi and Mahua Moitra were seen holding the national flag. Some of the MPs also switched on torches on their mobile phones at the Gandhi Smriti.
Police had put up barricades on the Sunehri Bagh Road to stop the large number of Congress and Youth Congress workers from moving towards Tees January Marg, where the Congress and other leaders were headed from Rahul's residence. However, police later removed the barricades and allowed Mr. Gandhi and other MPs to move forward. As they reached the end of the Sunehri Bagh Road and near Amit Shah's residence, police stopped them and said they were not allowed to assemble there as BNS Section 163 was in force that prohibited the assembly of five or more persons in the area. They, however, later allowed Mr. Gandhi and the others to move towards Tees January Marg. In a post on X, Mr. Gandhi said that “no one can stop them from standing with the students of India”. “In solidarity with the students, we wanted to take the opposition MPs to India Gate.
But they refused. Then, we wanted to take them to Tees January Marg, Gandhi ji's assassination spot.” “Now, they have put this bus in front of us so that we can't get there. They put up this bus and barricades to stop us, preventing our movement. They are doing this drama.” “Obviously, they are scared. All of us MPs felt that if the students are on the streets, we should also be on the streets,” Mr. Gandhi said in a video from the bus headed towards Gandhi Smriti. In an X post earlier, Mr. Gandhi said, “Right now, MPs and leaders of the INDIA bloc are peacefully heading to Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Marg. We go to remember the students we lost – the children driven to take their own lives after the NEET paper leak.” “And we go to stand with the students who lie injured today - beaten for peacefully demanding justice and accountability.
