'Amit Shah has to go': Rahul Gandhi targets HM for violence on students during CJP protest

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday stepped up his attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that he was responsible for the alleged police action against students protesting the NEET paper leak issue on July 20.

He also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack Shah and order a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the alleged crackdown.

Addressing a press conference after the Lok Sabha proceedings, Gandhi also alleged that he was not allowed to speak in the House because of his remarks against the Union home minister.


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"As you saw today, the Leader of Opposition was not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha. Multiple times, I asked the Speaker to bring order to the House so that I could speak. Multiple times, Rajnath Singh ji and others were allowed to speak, but I was not allowed to speak," Gandhi said.


He claimed the reason cited was his remarks about Shah.

"The excuse was that I said something about Mr. Amit Shah. I said that Mr. Amit Shah was responsible for the brutality that was carried out. I have also given an assurance that if I apologise, I will be allowed to continue speaking."

Rejecting the suggestion, Gandhi said that he will never ever apologise to the BJP, RSS, or any other person associated with them. "This is something that has to be understood," he said.

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Calling the alleged assault on students the biggest issue before the country, Gandhi said, "The second thing is, it is my right as the Leader of the Opposition to raise issues that are important for this country. To me, the most important issue today by far is the following: the issue where our students, people who are open-minded and ask questions, were brutalised on the streets of Delhi."

Gandhi alleged that Shah was directly aware of the police action.

"Now, here is the question: this gentleman over here (pointing to Home Minister Amit Shah's picture), as I understand it, is the Home Minister of India, and any action taken by police forces or forces associated with the Home Ministry requires his order. So, when we were at Parliament House, I saw with my own eyes Amit Shah calling police officers, the Home Minister ji, on the phone. I saw it with my own eyes. I saw (MoS) Jitendra Singh, the Minister, getting call after call from Mr. Amit Shah. So, he was pretty clear and aware of what was going on on the street."

He further said there were only two possibilities: "Now, there are two possibilities. Possibility, number one, is he gave the order. To shoot people with pellet guns, to beat people with lathis with nails or he didn't know it was happening. If he didn't know it was happening, he's incompetent. And if he ordered it, he's culpable. There's no third possibility."

Rahul added, "He either ordered it or he has no idea what's going on in his ministry. And he's incompetent, in either case, he has to go. And he has to go, and every single child who has been beaten must know this. That this is the man. Take a good look at him. This is the man who is responsible for what happened to you."

Referring to the injured students, Gandhi alleged that protesters 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?" he said.

The Congress leader said the Opposition would continue pursuing the issue.

"We will ensure that the students who were beaten get justice. We will ensure that those who shot our students with pellet guns are punished. The Opposition guarantees the students that there will be accountability."

He also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove the home minister.

"Our advice to the Prime Minister is: Sack Amit Shah. Probe by Supreme Court-monitored independent high-powered committee. At least have the decency to take responsibility," the 56-year old Congress leader said.

Gandhi also criticised the Anti-Paper Leak Bill, passed by the Lok Sabha earlier in the day, saying it fell short of addressing systemic problems in the examination system.

"Anti-paper leak bill like band aid but we need surgery, students want revamp of exam system," he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police on Wednesday issued a fact check rejecting claims that a protester sustained a gunshot injury during the July 20 protest in central Delhi. Citing the Medical Legal Certificate (MLC), the police said the injured person had suffered a "lacerated wound in front of the right tragus", with the nature of the injury recorded as "blunt".

"As per doctor's opinion, it is simple injury and there is no evidence of gunshot injury. Therefore, the claim of gunshot injury is not supported by the medical findings on the MLC," Delhi Police said in a post on X, urging the public to verify information through authentic sources before sharing such claims.

Gandhi's remarks came days after students ended their protest over the alleged NEET paper leak and their demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. The Opposition has repeatedly raised the issue in Parliament, with the row over the alleged crackdown on protesters disrupting discussions on the Anti-Paper Leak Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha earlier on Wednesday.