Any student who wants to do activism should face police; I faced during Emergency: JP Nadda

The Rajya Sabha witnessed disruptions after Opposition members protested Delhi Police's entry into the CPI(M) office to arrest student leader Aishe Ghosh. JP Nadda defended the police action, saying student activists should face law enforcement, triggering further uproar in the House

 New Delhi: Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, JP Nadda, on Wednesday said any student activist who wants to do activism should face police action. He said this when John Britas raised the issue of Delhi Police personnel barging into the CPI(M) office in Delhi.

The Rajya Sabha witnessed heated exchanges and sloganeering after members raised the issue of Delhi Police officials allegedly entering the national headquarters of the CPI(M) on Tuesday to arrest student leader Aishe Ghosh, a former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union.

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After papers and reports were laid, Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan permitted members to raise matters with permission. John Brittas of the CPI(M) drew the House’s attention to the incident. He said police personnel “barged into a national political party office, CPI(M), to arrest a student leader, Aishe Ghosh”. Brittas stated that her only alleged offence was participation in a student protest at Jantar Mantar.

When questioned, the officers cited pending cases from 2020-21. “I have no problem with Delhi Police action as this is a bipartisan issue, but it is shocking that they came without prior information to you (C.P. Radhakrishnan. What do they want – to send fear? I want the Home Minister to tell us what happened,” he said. Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge seconded the concern, calling it “very shameful that police barge into a national party office and try to arrest a leader.”

He demanded that the officers involved be punished. Opposition members continued sloganeering and pressed for action against the police personnel.

Responding to this, Leader of the House JP Nadda said he himself had been a student leader and was arrested during the Emergency. “It is normal law and order activity which the police have to take,” he remarked and said, “Any student who wants to do activism should face police; even I faced many times during the Emergency.”

His reply triggered further uproar, with opposition voices drowning out other speakers. When Rajib Bhattacharjee of the BJP (Tripura) sought to make a statement, opposition members persisted with slogans and disruption. The Chairman later adjourned the House till noon.

Earlier, when the House assembled at 11 a.m., papers were laid by Jayant Chaudhary for the Ministry of Education, Nityanand Rai for the Ministry of Home Affairs, Prof SP Singh Baghel for the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, BL Verma for the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and Savitri Thakur for the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo and M Nagaraja then laid on the Table a copy of the Twenty-Seventh Report (Eighteenth Lok Sabha) of the Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal, Mines and Steel (2025-26) on “Infrastructure Development to Augment Washed Coal Production” pertaining to the Ministry of Coal.

Arjun Ram Meghwal moved a motion seeking the House’s concurrence with the Lok Sabha’s recommendation that the Rajya Sabha elect two of its members to the Joint Committee on Offices of Profit.

The vacancies arose from the retirement of NR Elango (effective April 2, 2026) and Deepak Prakash (effective June 21, 2026). The House resolved to elect the members in the manner directed by the Chairman.