wednesdAY 22 july, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard united kingdom Burnham removes Starmer allies The PM gathered his cabinet for its first meeting on Tuesday and vowed to take a “one-team approach” despite purging allies of Keir Starmer from the govt. Page 9 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Oppn steps in, promises legal aid and support to injured The Opposition — Indian Youth Congress and Aam Aadmi Party — started separate helplines on Tuesday for students who had been injured during Monday’s protests. Promising to stand by every student in Delhi, the IYC said that students can seek assistance by calling the helpline numbers or by reaching out on the social media platform X. The AAP announced the initiative on social media, promising legal assistance to families of detained students and medical assistance to the injured protesters. P3 l New Delhi l J8.00 Protests spread to Raj, Maha, students take to the streets Hundreds of students in Rajasthan held demonstrations at the Udaipur Nagar Nigam campus on Tuesday in support of the nationwide students’ demonstrations. The protests centred on expressing solidarity with the CJP-led agitation demanding accountability, educational reforms and exam transparency. The protest also spread to Maharashtra. On Tuesday, the protesters gathered in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur seeking the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. P3 High drama as Rahul takes protest to PM’s doorstep Congress leaders join students’ agitation; LoP, Priyanka and Akhilesh detained after sit-in p r e e t h a n a i r @ New Delhi A day after thousands of students marched through the national capital over the NEET controversy the political battle , escalated on Tuesday as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav were detained after leading a sit-in protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence, demanding his resignation. The high-voltage confrontation unfolded outside Lok Kalyan Marg, where Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and several senior leaders reached around 3.30 pm and staged a dharna, accusing the Centre of shielding those responsible for the alleged NEET paper leak and ordering police action against protesting students. NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule joined the demonstration later. The Union government was quick to defuse the face-off by rushing Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh to hold talks with Rahul Gandhi. Union Home Secretary Govind Supporters of CJP near Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Education Minister over NEET irregularities, during their protest in New Delhi on Tuesday | pti Try every pressure, exert all your might ... this fight for justice for students will not stop now — Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Mohan was also present. However, the discussions failed to break the deadlock, with the government later accusing Gandhi of shifting the goalposts from seeking a parliamentary debate to demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The Congress de- mands included a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament on police violence, a judicial inquiry into the alleged police excesses against protesting students, and an immediate discussion on NEET in both Houses. As the protest continued, Delhi Police moved in to clear the site. Visuals showed Rahul Gandhi sitting on the ground and resisting as security personnel attempted to lift him away. “Democracy in India is happening right now,” Gandhi told reporters. Rahul Gandhi was taken to Chhatrasal Stadium in Model Town, while Priyanka Gandhi was detained at Mandir Marg police station. Both were released later. Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi reached the police station where Priyanka was being held. Several Congress MPs, Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan also attended the protest. Before the protest began, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi visited students injured during Monday’s protests. Earlier, Rahul Gandhi along with other opposition leaders met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him to allow a discussion in Parliament on the police ‘brutality’ and NEET controversy but was informed , that the government’s approval was a must to take up the disP3 & P7 cussion.  After HC order, Wangchuk shifted to Medanta U d aya n K i s h o r e @ New Delhi The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed to immediately shift activist Sonam Wangchuk to Medanta Hospital “to ensure his fundamental rights under the Constitution”, as desired by his family The HC said that . moving Wangchuk to a hospital of his choice would protect his fundamental rights. In the evening, Wangchuk was shifted to Medanta from Safdarjung Hospital in an ambulance under tight security and was admitted to ICU. Earlier, HC bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia also ordered the constitution of a committee of doctors from Medanta to monitor Wangchuk and provide him medication, saying that he should abide by the order. The bench said Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo would be allowed to visit her husband as and when she desires. The bench made the di- Injured protester on ventilator support at RML A 23-year-old female student injured during protest on Monday is on ventilator support at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, sources said on Tuesday. The woman is believed to have suffered asphyxia. Under-construction tunnel in Sikkim collapses, 20 dead P RASA N TA MA Z UMDAR @ Guwahati At least 2o people were killed and five others remained trapped inside an under-construction tunnel in Sikkim’s Namchi district collapsed after the sudden release of suspected methane gas led to an explosion, triggering dense smoke and toxic gases. “An unfortunate incident occurred on July 20, 2026, at 1:04 pm inside the Head Race Tunnel under construction at Samardung in South Sikkim for the NHPC Teesta Stage-VI Hydroelectric Project, due to the sudden explosive release of suspected methane gas trapped/embedded in the rocks, resulting in the generation of dense smoke and toxic gases,” the NHPC said in a statement on Tuesday . The NHPC said 25 personnel were inside the tunnel. Namchi Deputy Commissioner Anupa Tamling told this newspaper rections on an appeal filed by Angmo, who argued that her husband was being held at Safdarjung against his will. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that the the government had no objection to the shifting of Wangchuk to Medanta. “Only thing is that he may not get a discharge against medical advice. Those who are around him want him out, irrespective of his health.” Mehta said. Continued on P3 Express Read Back wages, `10L cost to retd CRPF officer: SC After a legal battle of more than 25 years, the Supreme Court on Tuesday granted back wages, revised pension benefits and `10 lakh as litigation costs to a retired CRPF officer, holding authorities’ responsible to properly implement court orders in a disciplinary case. Kerala plans `10K fine for abandoning pet Rescue personnel and emergency responders near the under-construction NHPC Teesta Stage VI Hydroelectric Project tunnel, in Namchi district, Sikkim | pti that 12 of them died and efforts were on to rescue the rest. Some reports put the toll at 20. The NHPC said the project team was working in close coordination with the district administration, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, local authorities and other emergency agencies to support the res- cue operations. In addition, a special rescue team from DG Mines-Safety reached the site. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang over the phone to enquire about the situation and offered every possible support for the rescue efforts, a Sikkim government statement said. The Kerala government is set to impose a `10,000 penalty for abandoning pet dogs and operating illegal breeding centres, as it struggles to comply with the Supreme Court’s order to remove strays from public places due to shortage of shelters. P5 Woman, 2 daughters killed in house fire A woman and her two daughters were killed after a fire broke out in a residential building in Lodhi Road area on Tuesday, officials said. Police said no signs of foul play have come to notice at this stage. “The exact cause of the fire is under probe,” police said. P4 l PAGES 12 Plot twist 3pm: A cryptic message from AICC gen secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal reads: “All MPs of LS & RS of INC are requested to reach 10, Rajaji Marg at 3 pm to formally greet Congress president on his birthday”. Senior leaders gather at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence. In minutes, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, Kharge move to Lok Kalyan Marg, protest outside PM’s house seeking his resignation 4 pm: 20 minutes into the protests, govt rushes MoS Jitendra Singh to the protest site to persuade Rahul to end dharna 4.30-5pm: Congress leaders seek Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, Amit Shah’s statement in House, and a probe into July 20 police excesses. Talks fail, Singh accuses Gandhi of going back on his original demand 6.30pm: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav joins protest. Rahul, Priyanka, Akhilesh detained by police. All three released later Police detain Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi and LoP Rahul Gandhi during a protest near PM’s residence over NEET irregularities in New Delhi, Tuesday| parveen negi Modi calls NEET paper leak a ‘grave sin’, bats for fool-proof system rajesh kumar thakur @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday termed the alleged NEET-UG paper leak a ghor paap (grave sin), asserting that the government is taking strict action against those responsible and will not let anyone jeopardise the future of the country’s youth. M o d i ’ s r e m a rk s came while addressing the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting on the second day of the Monsoon session of Parliament, a day after the Congress and other Opposition parties protested demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Calling it a matter of national interest rather than party politics, Modi said that tackling the issue requires close Centre-state cooperation. He said that 13 people linked to the leak had been arrested. Briefing reporters afterward, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the PM highlighted the government’s swift response, noting that the NEET re-examination was conducted promptly and results declared without delay . “PM Modi noted that to ensure students’ futures are not adversely affected, the NEET re-examination was prioritised conducted successfully and the results were declared without delay Rijiju said. ,” Modi reiterated that the issue should not be viewed through a political lens, called for stronger safeguards against future leaks, the strictest punishment for those involved, and the involvement of top legal experts to ensure exemplary action. He urged the MPs to engage with students to rebuild their trust, saying that misleading youth was easy but guiding them demanded sustained effort. The PM told the MPs that it was easy to mislead the youth, but guiding them in the right direction requirs sustained efforts. 4 FIRs filed for arson and vandalism N i t i n R a w at @ New Delhi The Delhi Police has lodged four FIRs over violence and vandalism that occurred during the Parliament march organised by the Cockroach Janta Party on Monday Several pro. testers and security personnel were injured in the clashes. The cases have been filed at different police stations of the New Delhi district under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. The police said that the protesters formed an unlawful assembly disrupted pub, lic order, blocked government officials from performing their duties, indulged in violence and damaged public property . The police said that several social media groups are under investigation, as there is suspicion that criminal conspiracies were hatched through exchange of information by participants before the march started. The CJP announced it would hold a protest outside the Delhi Police headquarters. After police said it had released all the 70 protesters detained on Monday the CJP called off the stir. , MEA summons Russian envoy after missile strike kills 4 Indian seafarers JAYA N TH JA C O B @ New Delhi INDIA on Tuesday summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires, Vladimir Ladanov, to lodge an “unequivocal condemnation” over a Russian missile strike on the merchant vessel MV Golden Leo in the Black Sea that killed 10 people, including four Indian crew members. Ladanov was called in to the External Affairs Ministry after the first time Indian seafarers have been killed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. During the meeting, the MEA conveyed its “grave concerns and unequivocal condemnation” over the attack on the Guinea-Bissau-flagged commercial vessel on July 19 and stressed that attacks on merchant shipping are unacceptable. “The targeting of commercial shipping and the resulting loss of innocent civilian lives are unacceptable and must be avoided,” the Russian diplomat was told. MEA said that such attacks “undermine the safety, security and stability of inter, Smoke rises from the grain carrier Golden Leo under the Guinea-Bissau flag after Russian missile strike in the Black Sea close to Odesa, Ukraine, on Sunday | AP/PTI national maritime commerce.” The MV Golden Leo, a cargo ship, was struck while departing Ukraine’s Odesa port on Sunday evening. Of the 17 crew members onboard, five were Indian nationals. Four Indians were killed while the fifth remains hospitalised in critical condition. Ukrainian authorities said that a total of 10 people, including a port pilot, lost their lives in the attack. Responding to India’s protest, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was in contact with New Delhi, but defended the strike. “We are explaining our position. Most importantly, our armed forces are striking, and will continue to strike vessels involved in transporting ammunition, weapons, and so on for the purposes of the Kyiv regime,” Peskov told reporters. India had on Monday condemned the attack and reiterated its call for an end to the targeting of commercial shipping during armed conflicts. The incident comes amid growing risks for Indian seafarers operating in global conflict zones. In recent weeks, several Indian crew members have also been killed in separate attacks linked to the Iran-US war in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting New Delhi to summon both Iranian and American diplomats to register strong protests. Ukraine accused Russia of deliberately targeting international commercial shipping.