Opposition Protests Disrupt Rajya Sabha Session Over NEET Paper Leak

Disruption in Rajya Sabha Over Student Protests

New Delhi, July 27 - The Rajya Sabha session faced significant interruptions due to uproar from opposition members regarding police actions against students protesting the NEET question paper leak. After three adjournments, the session was suspended around 3 PM and rescheduled to reconvene at 5:15 PM.

Upon resuming at 3 PM, Deputy Chairman Harivansh attempted to initiate discussions on the National Honor (Amendment) Bill 2026. However, several opposition members gathered near the podium, vocally opposing the government.

Despite appeals from the Deputy Chairman for calm and a focus on the bill, the disruptions continued unabated, leading to another adjournment until 5:15 PM.

This bill, introduced in the upper house on Friday, stipulates that any disruption or disrespect during the singing of the national song, 'Vande Mataram', will be considered a criminal offense, punishable by up to three years in prison. It proposes amendments to the original 1971 Act. The session had already been adjourned three times previously due to similar uproar.

When the session began at 11 AM, Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan presented essential documents to the house and invited members to raise issues of public importance during Zero Hour. However, opposition members quickly initiated protests regarding police actions against students who demonstrated in Delhi last week over the NEET paper leak.

As a result of the ongoing disturbances, the session was first adjourned until noon, then again until 2 PM, and subsequently until 3 PM. The monsoon session of Parliament commenced on July 20, and due to the uproar surrounding the NEET paper leak, there has been no Zero Hour or Question Hour in the house during the previous week.