Gandhi Demands Shah's Resignation Over Protest Crackdown
- Rahul Gandhi demands Amit Shah's resignation over July 20 police action
- Gandhi labels Centre as 'culpable or incompetent' regarding protest handling
- Public Exams Bill tabled in Rajya Sabha amid opposition protests
- Kharge accuses government of 'lethal' crackdown on students
- Fadnavis counters Gandhi, alleging 'baseless' accusations
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the central government on Monday, demanding the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the police action against student protesters last month.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Gandhi labelled the government as either "culpable or incompetent" in its handling of the situation, which he described as a brutal suppression of student voices.
The opposition leader's remarks mark a significant escalation in the political standoff that has paralysed Parliament for weeks, shifting the blame directly onto the highest levels of the Home Ministry.
"The Home Minister must resign," Gandhi told reporters, his voice steady but firm.
"Either the government is culpable for what happened to the students on July 20, or it is incompetent to the point that it cannot control its own police forces.
Both scenarios are unacceptable for a democracy."
The incident in question refers to the July 20 crackdown on NEET aspirants who were protesting alleged irregularities in the medical entrance examination.
Witnesses and opposition leaders claim the police used excessive force, including pellet guns and rubber bullets, to disperse the crowd.
Gandhi's demand for Shah's resignation comes after days of escalating rhetoric between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc.
The timing is critical, as the government attempts to push through the controversial Public Exams Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
"You cannot attack the future of this country and expect to stay in office," Gandhi added.
"The youth are watching, and they will not forget this brutality."
The Congress leader was flanked by other senior party leaders who have been coordinating the protests outside the Parliament building.
Sources within the opposition confirmed that the strategy to target the Home Minister directly was decided during a morning meeting aimed at intensifying pressure on the government.
"We tried to discuss this in the House, but we were silenced," a senior opposition MP said.
"Now we are taking this to the people."
The government has yet to issue an official response to Gandhi's latest ultimatum, but BJP leaders have previously dismissed the opposition's claims as politically motivated stunts designed to derail legislative business.
However, the gravity of demanding a cabinet minister's resignation over a law and order issue raises the stakes considerably, potentially setting the stage for a prolonged and acrimonious session of Parliament.
July 20 Police Action Injures Dozens of NEET Aspirants
The focal point of the current political firestorm is the police intervention on July 20 in the capital, where hundreds of students had gathered to protest against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
The protest, which began peacefully, turned chaotic when police moved in to clear the area, resulting in injuries to several students.
Medical reports accessed by this correspondent suggest that at least 37 students were treated at local hospitals for injuries ranging from fractures to contusions and soft tissue damage.
Among the injured, five students required hospitalisation for more than 48 hours due to the severity of their wounds.
The use of force has been hotly contested, with opposition leaders alleging that police fired pellet guns, a claim that has been vehemently denied by officials.
"We saw what happened," said Priyanka Gandhi, a senior Congress leader, who visited the injured students at a hospital last week.
"The entire country saw what happened.
You cannot hide the truth by denying it."
The students were demanding a re-examination and a high-level probe into alleged paper leaks and malpractices in the NEET exam, which determines admission to medical colleges across India.
Government figures show that over 2.4 million students appeared for the exam this year, making it one of the largest competitive examinations in the world.
The pressure on these aspirants is immense, and the allegations of irregularities have sparked widespread outrage among the youth and their families.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as police personnel charged at the protesters with batons.
"They were not asking for anything unreasonable," said a student who was present at the protest but managed to escape injury.
"They just wanted fairness.
Instead of listening, the government decided to beat them up."
Video footage circulating on social media shows police personnel chasing students through the streets and striking them with lathis.
However, the veracity of claims regarding bullet injuries remains a point of contention.
While the opposition insists that some students suffered bullet wounds, possibly from rubber bullets or pellet guns, police officials have maintained that only standard crowd control measures were employed.
"We used minimal force necessary to restore order," a police official said on condition of anonymity.
"The protesters had turned violent and were obstructing traffic.
We had a duty to disperse them."
The discrepancy in accounts has fuelled the opposition's narrative of a government hiding the truth.
Sambit Patra, a national spokesperson for the BJP, accused Rahul Gandhi of "changing the goalpost" and demanded evidence to prove the bullet claims.
"He is making allegations without proof," Patra told reporters on Wednesday.
"This is a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and malign the image of the Delhi Police."
Despite the denials, the physical injuries sustained by the students are undeniable.
Families of the injured have filed complaints with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), seeking an independent inquiry into the police conduct.
The NHRC has reportedly taken cognizance of the matter and issued a notice to the Delhi Police administration, asking for a detailed report within two weeks.
The incident has also drawn criticism from civil society groups and education activists, who argue that the government's response was disproportionate to the nature of the protest.
"Using brute force against students who are fighting for their rights is a sign of authoritarianism," said a prominent educationist based in Delhi.
"This government has lost the moral authority to speak about the youth."
The political fallout from the July 20 incident continues to reverberate through the corridors of power, with the opposition using it as a rallying cry to mobilise public support against the administration.
"Lethal Crackdown": Kharge Links Bill to Student Injuries
The political atmosphere in Parliament has been particularly volatile since the government introduced the Public Exams Bill in the Rajya Sabha last Thursday.
According to official legislative documents, the legislation aims to bring transparency and fairness to competitive examinations, but opposition leaders argue that it is ironic that the government is introducing such a bill while simultaneously cracking down on students demanding those very ideals.
Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress party and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, launched a fierce attack on the government, accusing Home Minister Amit Shah of presiding over a "lethal" crackdown on student protesters.
"On one hand, you bring a bill to standardise exams, and on the other, you injure the students who point out flaws in the system," Kharge said during a debate in the Upper House.
"This is double-speak.
The Home Minister is directly responsible for the lethal action against our children."
Kharge's comments were met with loud protests from the treasury benches, leading to multiple adjournments of the House.
The opposition has been adamant that the bill cannot be discussed in isolation from the events of July 20.
They have demanded that the government first address the issue of police brutality and take disciplinary action against the officers involved before proceeding with any legislative business.
"We cannot allow this bill to pass until justice is served to the students," said an opposition MP.
"This bill is just a piece of paper if the intent of the government is to suppress dissent."
The Public Exams Bill proposes strict penalties for paper leaks and malpractices, including provisions for imprisonment and hefty fines.
While the opposition supports the intent of the legislation, they have raised several objections to specific clauses, arguing that they could be misused to target disadvantaged communities.
However, the immediate trigger for the current stalemate is the police action, which has become the central theme of the opposition's narrative.
Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Pushpendra Saroj echoed Kharge's sentiments, stating that the government was evading answers on the alleged police action.
"The government does not want a discussion on the atrocities committed against students," Saroj told reporters outside Parliament.
"They are running away from the truth because they know they are guilty."
The opposition's strategy has been to link every legislative item on