India's Parliament Disrupted by Jantar Mantar Student Lathi-Charge Protest

Opposition leaders, including Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, raised the issue of police lathi‑charges on student demonstrators at Jantar Mantar during the Monsoon session of Parliament. Kharge said, “We wanted to discuss the lathi charge on protesting students… but as soon as we said a word, the mic was turned off. The government shut our mouths.”

The demand to debate the NEET paper‑leak and related youth concerns was blocked, leading to repeated suspensions of both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. Security forces used tear‑gas and temporarily closed several Parliament gates as protesters attempted to march toward the precincts. About a dozen protesters were detained near the Reserve Bank of India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged that debates be based on facts, not noise, while parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju appealed to opposition parties not to disrupt the proceedings. Opposition figures such as Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and Akhilesh Yadav also condemned the government’s handling of the student protest.