NEW DELHI — Opposition leaders dramatically escalated their campaign over the NEET paper leak controversy on Tuesday, with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi leading an unprecedented sit-in near Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence. Simultaneously, senior Opposition leaders gathered at Jantar Mantar to show solidarity with protesting students.

The high-security demonstration outside the PM's residence—the first led by a sitting Leader of the Opposition—included Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Protesters demanded systemic reforms and the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

After a three-and-a-half-hour standoff, Delhi Police removed and detained the leaders. Rahul Gandhi was taken to Chhatrasal Stadium before his release, while Priyanka Gandhi was detained at the Mandir Marg police station until late Tuesday night.

Attempted negotiations led by Union Minister Jitendra Singh and Home Secretary Govind Mohan failed to break the deadlock. While Singh claimed the government agreed to a parliamentary discussion on NEET, he accused Gandhi of refusing to call off the protest. Meanwhile, figures including Sharad Pawar, Arvind Kejriwal, and Uddhav Thackeray visited Jantar Mantar, while both Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Rahul Gandhi visited injured student protesters undergoing treatment in hospitals.