The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday (August 5, 2026) accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of being responsible for the alleged police excesses recently directed at students protesting against examination paper leaks.
Mr.
Gandhi said Mr.
Shah lacked the “decency” and “courage” to explain the incident in Parliament.
CJP protest: SC clarifies States can withdraw FIRs against students in accordance with law Addressing the media outside 10, Janpath, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s official residence, Mr.
Gandhi said he had met students from different States, who had participated in the protests.
He was proud of the “thousands of students” who had fought for the Constitution, the education system, and the future of the country, he said.
The students had narrated how they were assaulted, beaten and threatened despite protesting peacefully, Mr.
Gandhi said.
“Complaining about a flawed education system is not a crime.
The system needs to be changed and corrected,” the Opposition leader said.
Stepping up his attack on the Home Minister, Mr.
Gandhi alleged that Mr.
Shah was directly responsible for the action against the protesters.
Students return to Jantar Mantar to debunk viral false protest videos Referring to students who were injured during the crackdown, he said the Home Minister had neither the courage to come to Parliament nor the decency to explain what had happened.
“There are two possibilities — either he did not know that violence was carried out on children, in which case he is incompetent, or he ordered it, which means he is culpable.
Either way, he is responsible,” he said.
Later, Mr.
Gandhi shared photographs from his interaction with students on Instagram, describing the students as “young, fearless, outspoken and patriotic”.
“And the Prime Minister and Home Minister?
Neither the courage to come to Parliament nor the guts to provide answers,” he posted.
Among those who addressed the media alongside Mr.
Gandhi was model Rhiya Ahir, whose photograph blocking a police van during the student protests in Mumbai went viral.
Ms.
Ahir said she had prevented the unlawful arrest of students and was now facing sustained online harassment.
“This is not trolling, it is a crime,” she said.
Protest for Amit Shah’s resignation over July 20 action will continue: AISA chief Neha Other students, including Nutan Topo, Farha Naz, Bharat, and Muskan Sharma, also spoke to the media, giving their personal accounts of alleged police brutalities against them at Jantar Mantar.
Students recounted their experiences during the protests.
Topo alleged that she was hit by pellet firing during the July 20, 2026 demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
Naz claimed that police personnel, after finding out her name, labelled her “anti-national”.
Bharat alleged he was beaten during the agitation, and said it was important to protest to safeguard democracy.
Another student alleged she was assaulted by the police despite participating peacefully.
Gandhi hailed the students for speaking publicly despite facing harassment, and said they had shown greater courage than the country’s top leadership by standing before the media.
