Skip next section Donning black, India's Opposition MPs protest at parliament complex

07/22/2026July 22, 2026

Donning black, India's Opposition MPs protest at parliament complex

India's opposition MPs held a protest in the parliament premises in New Delhi on Wednesday wearing black clothes as they called out "police brutality" in Monday's crackdown on youth protesters in the capital.

The lawmakers are protesting against the "Modi government's mishandling of the students' movement, and the continuation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in office," the opposition Congress party said.

India's main leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi and senior Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi were present at the demonstration, after being briefly detained the previous evening during their protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, where they called for the Indian leader's resignation.

"Students have genuine demands and are asking for their rights," Priyanka Gandhi told the media on Wednesday, adding that there was "nothing undemocratic about peaceful protest."

The opposition lawmakers' protest comes as the Indian parliament tries to proceed with its third day of the monsoon session.

The parliament has had a rocky start to its second session of the year, as thousands of young protesters tried to march to its gates on Monday demanding Pradhan's resignation and broader reforms to the country's examination system.

Inside the bicameral parliament, disruptions by opposition MPs demanding a discussion on entrance exam paper leaks over the last three days have led to the recurrent adjournment of both houses — the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

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Skip next section Welcome to our coverage

07/22/2026July 22, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

This is Dharvi Vaid Dhulia from DW's studio in New Delhi, back with our daily capsule of all the biggest headlines and events that have got India talking.

Opposition lawmakers are planning to hold a demonstration outside one of the gates of the Indian parliament as they demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The opposition protest comes two days after a swell of thousands of youth protesters — angered over what they call failures in the education system —  tried to march to the parliament and were met with batons and tear gas volleys in a police crackdown.

The youth protest is seen as one of the biggest public challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government since he was reelected for a third time in 2024.

Last evening, dramatic scenes unfolded in the Indian capital as opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and members of his Congress party were briefly detained after they marched to Modi's doorstep, demanding his resignation over the police action against the student protesters.

Pradhan has issued his first statement since the protest against him led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement began over a month ago.

Meanwhile, at the protest 'ground zero' of Jantar Mantar, hundreds are still camping as the CJP presses ahead with its demands.

Stay tuned as we bring you more.

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