Congress Calls for Parliament Debate Over Police Crackdown on Student Protesters

The mood in New Delhi turned tense on July 20 when a crowd of students set off on a ‘Chalo Sansad’ march from Jantar Mantar toward the Parliament. Their grievance? Alleged irregularities in the NEET and CBSE examinations. What they met, however, was a swift and, according to many witnesses, excessive police response.

In the aftermath, the Congress party decided to take the matter to the floor of Parliament. On Monday, senior leaders submitted a series of adjournment and business‑suspension notices in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The aim? To force an immediate debate on what they describe as “brutal, unprovoked and disproportionate” force used by the Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force (RAF).

Lok Sabha General Secretary and MP K. C. Venugopal filed an adjournment motion insisting that the House discuss the “brutal, unprovoked, and disproportionate use of force by the Delhi Police against students protesting peacefully at Jantar Mantar.” Fellow MP Hibi Eden followed suit, zeroing in on the actions of the RAF and demanding a look into the “excessive use of force” against the youngsters.

Across the chamber, Rajya Sabha veteran Renuka Chowdhury raised a notice under Rule 267 seeking suspension of business. Her document listed a litany of allegations: lathi‑charges, tear‑gas shells, pellet‑gun fire and even unidentified plain‑clothed men beating demonstrators. Chowdhury asked the Union Home Minister for a full statement on who authorised the deployment and why such measures were deemed necessary, and also called on the Prime Minister to outline steps to prevent a repeat.

The push for accountability intensified after Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi questioned Home Minister Amit Shah on X (formerly Twitter). Gandhi forwarded a letter accusing the security forces of “indiscriminate” and “lethal” force, probing whether the Home Minister had personally approved the use of pellet guns. He also highlighted reports of women students being assaulted and a journalist sustaining serious injuries.

Eyewitnesses from the march recount scenes of lathi‑charges, tear‑gas canisters arcing through the air, and a palpable sense of panic as the RAF moved in. While officials claim the force was needed to disperse an unlawful assembly, the opposition maintains the students were exercising their democratic right to protest.

The controversy now sits on the parliamentary agenda, waiting for the motions to be debated. Whether the discussions will lead to concrete reforms or merely become another point of political sparring remains to be seen.