On Tuesday, opposition lawmakers stalled proceedings in the standing committee of home affairs, insisting on a discussion regarding police actions during recent protests. The protests, which took place at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on July 20, were sparked by allegations of irregularities in the NEET-UG 2026 examination. Lawmakers specifically highlighted concerns over the use of pellet guns against students, emphasizing that this issue has captured national attention and warrants immediate discussion.
Panel chairman, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Radha Mohan Das Agarwal refused to change the pre-decided topic of the discussion, but agreed to take up a discussion at a later date on “Standard Operating Procedures on use of force on protesters.”
The meeting was attended by Opposition members including Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Ajay Maken and Jai Prakash, Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien, NCP-SP lawmaker Supriya Sule, Sanjay Yadav of RJD. After the ruling, the Opposition members relented and the meeting that began at 11 am, went on till 4 pm.
The matter was raised by a Congress member during the meeting where views of officials of various ministries were to be presented on the subject of “crimes against children”.
