Indian Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi Detained Amid Youth-Led Protests

Indian police briefly detained the opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, during protests calling for the resignation of Narendra Modi in solidarity with the new youth-led “cockroach” movement.

Gandhi, the leader of India’s Congress party, was forcefully removed by police as he staged a sit-in outside the prime minister’s house in Delhi on Tuesday afternoon, accusing Modi of “destroying the future of India’s youth”.

Footage showed police holding the opposition leader by his arms and legs as they pushed through large crowds. They forced Gandhi into a nearby bus and removed him from the area. Chaotic scenes ensued as protesters appeared to try to board the bus as it sped away.

Gandhi’s sister, Priyanka, a senior party strategist, was also briefly detained on Tuesday. Police confirmed they were later released.

Gandhi was detained as thousands of people gathered at a separate site in central Delhi that has become the heart of youth-led protests calling for education reform and the resignation of the education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, which have continued to gather momentum.

The newly formed Cockroach Janata party (CJP), a youth-led movement that began as a satirical online joke, held one of the biggest anti-government protests in years on Monday. Dozens of people were injured after police used teargas and baton charges against the demonstrators.

The CJP’s demands on education arose after repeated scandals over testing, but it has grown into a larger movement giving voice to the frustration’s of India’s youth.

Amid gruelling heat and humidity, hundreds of young protesters remained camped out at the CJP’s protest site in Delhi on Wednesday morning, many of them having travelled for miles and slept out overnight.

Food deliveries sent by supporters – some ordered from abroad – have continued to arrive, keeping the protesters well fed on biryani, pizza, rice and dal. Morale remained high as slogans and songs rang out across the site.

It was estimated that more than 50,000 people had protested in Delhi on Monday, even though the police denied permission for them to march on parliament. It began as a peaceful demonstration, but by late afternoon police began to clash with the protesters.

Police said 60 civilians and 118 police personnel had been injured, and they accused protesters of instigating the clashes. But organisers condemned the “high-handedness” of the authorities and said hundreds of peaceful protesters had been injured by the police, including at least one woman now on a ventilator in intensive care from her injuries.

Congress accused the Modi government of refusing to address the issues of the students and the alleged “brutality unleashed on students” in parliament.

On Tuesday, Gandhi said: “The government doesn’t want to take any accountability, nor does it want to have a debate on it in parliament.”

Protests supporting the CJP movement were also held in Mumbai and Bengaluru, drawing hundreds of people.

Modi has not commented directly on the protests, but the education minister, who had dismissed the CJP protesters as a “B-team of terrorists”, took a more conciliatory tone in his first comments since Monday’s protests.

In a social media post, Pradhan said: “We owe them [students] answers, reforms and accountability. That is exactly what our government remains committed to delivering,”

The CJP’s founder, Abhijeet Dipke, urged protesters on Tuesday not to lose hope. “They want to break our spirit,” he said, from on top of a lorry. “Do not let them silence you.”

Several key opposition parties, including Congress, have come out in support of the students’ movement and condemned the police violence against Monday’s protest.

Sandeep Dikshit, a senior leader of the Congress party, said: “What happened yesterday is our constitution got trampled upon. After that, no self-respecting politician or citizen can stand aside.”