Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh stood his ground after a discussion in which he was the chief guest was allegedly interrupted by the Uttar Pradesh administration in Prayagraj. Rajya Sabha MP Singh was interacting with students from the city, with the discussion focusing on examination paper leaks and the challenges faced by students in Prayagraj.
However, while a student was raising an issue, additional district magistrate (ADM) Satyam Mishra, accompanied by DCP (city) Manish Kumar Shandilya, entered the hall at the Circuit House in Prayagraj where the meeting was underway.
Sanjay Singh took to X to share a video of the incident, alleging that UP’s BJP administration was not letting him discuss the paper leaks with the students in a closed room.
“In Prayagraj, UP, dictatorship has reached its peak—even in closed rooms, permission to discuss the future of millions of students is denied; the administration has arrived to stop even talk of paper leaks. Modi-Yogi’s double-engine government has completely failed and wants to crush the opposition,” Singh posted on X.
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How the drama unfolded inside the hall
According to video shared by Singh from the venue, Mishra and Shandilya along with other police officers approached the AAP MP during the event and gestured towards the exit, and appeared to be asking him to step outside for a conversation.
Sanjay Singh, however, refused to leave the gathering, never left his chair and questioned the officer’s request in front of the audience.
“Please tell me here itself what the matter is. Why don’t you tell me here?” Singh said. Pointing out that the event was being held indoors, he added, “This is an indoor programme. We are sitting inside a conference hall and having a discussion. Is even this difficult in Uttar Pradesh? What exactly is your responsibility here? Is there any law-and-order situation?”
Singh then took aim at the ADM, saying, “People will laugh at your administrative quality.”
He further argued that no prior permission was required to hold a discussion inside a conference hall.
“Permission is required for public places, ADM sahib. Show me the rule that says permission is needed to hold a discussion in a conference hall. If you want to talk about rules and laws, then show me the law,” he said.
ADM vs Sanjay continued for 5 minutes
Soon after, Singh, still seated, turned towards the students and asked them to continue the discussion. Meanwhile, Mishra began speaking with other organisers of the forum and allegedly urged them not to discuss examination paper leaks. Overhearing the remark, Singh returned to confront Mishra and questioned whether discussing paper leaks had become an anti-national activity.
Singh asked the official, “Are anti-national things being discussed here? Examination papers are being leaked. The examinations through which you became an ADM, through which someone became an SSP, an IG or a DGP — is discussing paper leaks now a crime?”
He continued, “In a democracy, and that too inside a closed room, I am seeing for the first time that the administration is saying, ‘Do not discuss paper leaks.'”
Referring to the impact of paper leak incidents on students, Singh said, “Lakhs of students’ lives are being ruined.”
Also Read | PM Modi is personally supervising, govt tells SC as court seeks explanation on NEET-like paper leaks
He also questioned the authority of the officials to intervene, asking, “ADM sahib, is this your personal property?” and warned that he would raise the matter before the Privileges Committee.
After the exchange, the officials left the venue without further confrontation. Singh then turned back to the audience, urging the students to continue the discussion, and the programme resumed.
The UP administration has so far not given a reaction to the Sanjay Singh video, till the filing of this copy.
Rahul Gandhi has been vocal on paper leaks, CBSE OSM mess
Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday met Vedant Shrivastava and other Class 12 students who were allegedly given incorrect question papers during the CBSE examinations.
Gandhi has also been targeting Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, demanding his resignation over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy and the CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) row. Pradhan, in response, accused Gandhi of being “frustrated” and said he was questioning the credibility of institutions responsible for conducting examinations, while stressing that students’ interests should not be adversely affected during this period.
