NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Central Government of attempting to suppress democratic dissent after meeting students who had participated in protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in NEET and other examinations.
During the interaction, several protesters alleged that they had faced physical assault, police brutality, harassment and communal profiling during and after the July 20 demonstration.
Gandhi strongly criticised alleged attempts to force a 15-year-old protester to apologise.
“Forcing them first, sending goons to their house, forcibly demanding an apology from a 15-year-old girl and then accepting that apology is complete nonsense. We do not accept it,” he said.
He said students were demanding an effective education system, an end to examination paper leaks and protection of their future.
“Complaining about an education system that is flawed and collapsing is not a crime. The system needs to be corrected. That is all they were asking for,” Gandhi said.
He alleged that the protesters had remained peaceful but were beaten, assaulted and threatened by security personnel.
Targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gandhi said the Home Minister must take responsibility for the alleged violence.
“There are only two possibilities. Either he did not know that this violence was being carried out against children, in which case he is incompetent, or he ordered it, in which case he is culpable. Either way, he is responsible,” Gandhi said.
He also accused Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lacking the courage to publicly address the allegations raised by the students.
During the meeting, Mumbai-based protester Riya Ahir alleged that she was being harassed after intervening to prevent the forcible detention of students during a demonstration in Dadar.
Ahir said she had lodged a complaint on July 27 but had not yet received a copy of the FIR. She also alleged that political workers and others were targeting her through social media posts.
Jharkhand resident Nutan Toppo claimed that she was injured by pellet fire during the July 20 protest at Jantar Mantar.
Other protesters, including Fahranaz and Muskan, alleged unprovoked baton-charging, police excesses and profiling based on religious identity. Their allegations have not been independently verified.
Protester Bharat Banait described the police action as the “darkest day” of his life and alleged that several students suffered serious injuries while demanding accountability over examination irregularities.
The Opposition has repeatedly targeted the Centre over alleged paper leaks and irregularities in competitive examinations, accusing it of failing to ensure transparency and accountability.
The allegations against the police and the Union Government had not received an official response at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, Parliament passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 during the ongoing Monsoon Session, with the government maintaining that the legislation would strengthen measures against paper leaks and other unfair practices.
