Kharge’s Birthday Gathering Turns Into PM residence Sit-in; Rahul Gandhi Detained, Released Hours Later

New Delhi: Congress leaders moved from a birthday gathering for party president Mallikarjun Kharge to a major political protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence at Lok Kalyan Marg on July 21, escalating the confrontation over the CJP-led student protests and alleged examination irregularities.

Kharge’s birthday celebrations on July 21 brought together senior Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other party MPs. After the gathering, Congress leaders moved towards Lok Kalyan Marg, where they staged a sit-in demanding accountability over alleged paper leaks, action against those responsible and a discussion in Parliament on examination irregularities and the police action against protesting students.

The protest led to a standoff with Delhi Police, who attempted to disperse the leaders citing security restrictions around the Prime Minister’s residence. After prolonged negotiations, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several other Congress leaders were detained.

The detained leaders were taken to the Police Station in central Delhi, where they were kept for several hours before being released, according to reports.

Apart from Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, several Congress MPs and senior leaders were also detained during the protest. The exact number of detained leaders varied across reports, with Congress claiming multiple party MPs and workers were taken into custody.

The detention triggered further criticism from the Opposition, with Congress alleging that the government was attempting to silence dissent, while police maintained that action was taken to maintain law and order near a high-security zone.

The protest came amid growing political tensions over the CJP movement, which began around alleged exam paper leaks and has expanded into a wider debate on youth issues, accountability and governance.