BJP and Congress Clash Nationwide Over NEET Paper Leaks

Nationwide unrest erupted on July 22, 2026, as the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) engaged in violent street clashes across India. The turmoil was triggered by the detention of Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during a protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence in New Delhi. The Congress party demanded the resignations of Modi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, citing systemic failures and 152 paper leaks over the last decade that affected 7.5 crore students.

Violence spread to multiple cities, including Hyderabad, Patna, and Bengaluru, where rival party workers clashed with sticks, stones, and eggs. In Bengaluru, Congress workers attempted to besiege the BJP state headquarters, while BJP leaders marching toward the Congress office were detained. Similar confrontations occurred in Jammu and Shimla, where the Students' Federation of India clashed with BJP workers. In Ranchi, the BJP shifted focus to local irregularities, laying siege to the Jharkhand Public Service Commission headquarters.

The unrest coincides with a prolonged sit-in by the Cockroach Janta Party at Jantar Mantar and hunger strikes by student activists. While the BJP condemned the opposition for fostering "sponsored anarchy" and targeting the Prime Minister, Congress leaders accused the government of using police brutality to silence students and evading accountability for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) scam.