India
oi-Oneindia Staff
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of being responsible for the alleged use of pellet guns and excessive force against students during the July 20 protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Addressing a press conference, the Congress leader said Shah should either be held accountable for approving the police action or removed from office if he was unaware of it. Gandhi also alleged that he was prevented from speaking in the Lok Sabha after raising the issue.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of responsibility for the alleged use of pellet guns and excessive force against students during the July 20 Jantar Mantar protest, demanding Shah be held accountable or removed.
Rahul Gandhi Alleges Home Minister Responsible
Gandhi claimed that he was repeatedly denied the opportunity to speak in the Lok Sabha after questioning Amit Shah’s role in the alleged police action.
“The leader of the Opposition is not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha. Multiple times I asked the speaker to bring order to the house so I could speak. Multiple times Rajnath Singh, Rijiju were allowed to speak, but I was not.. And the excuse was that I said something about Amit Shah, that he was responsible for the brutality that was carried out.”
He also said he was asked to apologise but refused.
“I was asked to apologise, but I will never ever apologise to the BJP, the RSS, or anyone else.”
Calling the treatment of protesting students the country’s biggest concern, Gandhi said they had gathered peacefully to ask questions but were met with force.
Claims of Pellet Guns and Excessive Force
Referring to the July 20 protest, Gandhi alleged that students were shot with pellet guns and assaulted with electric shock batons and nail-studded lathis.
“They (protesting students) were shot with pellet guns. One boy who was shot with a pellet gun is most likely to lose his eye and may not be able to see. I have seen the AIIMS medical certificate, which shows that he was shot with pellet guns. Shock batons were used, not just normal lathis, lathis with nails. Where did the police get this idea from?…”
Displaying photographs during the press conference, Gandhi further claimed that women and minor protesters were assaulted and questioned the presence of personnel in plain clothes at the protest site. He also alleged that students were being intimidated through facial recognition technology and claimed that the Bajrang Dal was being mobilised to discourage future protests.
‘Either Culpable or Incompetent’: Gandhi Targets Shah
Gandhi argued that both the Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force function under the Ministry of Home Affairs, making Shah answerable for the police action.
“Now there are two possibilities. Possibility number one is that he gave the order to shoot people with pellet guns, beat people with lathis with nails, and use electric batons on people. Or he did not know it was happening. If he did not know it was happening, he is incompetent. And if he ordered it, he is culpable.”
He added that in either case, “he should go.”
The Congress leader also said he had written to Amit Shah on July 25 asking whether he had approved the use of pellet guns and who authorised the deployment of personnel in plain clothes, claiming he had not received any acknowledgement.
Congress Vows Justice for Students
Gandhi said the Opposition would continue pursuing the matter and ensure accountability for those responsible.
“We will ensure that the students who were beaten, maybe not today, maybe sometime from now, but we will ensure that every single one of those students who was beaten gets justice. We will ensure that the people who shot our students with pellet guns will be punished.”
He also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the government’s handling of students had damaged its image among young people.
The allegations come amid an ongoing political confrontation over the July 20 protests at Jantar Mantar. While the Centre has denied that pellet guns were used against protesters, Gandhi has continued to insist that medical evidence supports his claim.
