Rahul Gandhi Accuses Amit Shah of Authorising Pellet Guns on Student Protesters

On Sunday, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, took to X with a message that was part inquiry, part condemnation. He aimed his questions directly at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, probing whether the minister had signed off on what Gandhi called “lethal force” – pellet guns, lathis and tear‑gas – that had been deployed against a crowd of students in Delhi.

The backdrop to this exchange is a series of protests that have been gaining momentum across the capital since early July. Students, angry over alleged leaks of the NEET‑UG question paper, gathered under the banner of the so‑called Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and staged a march they named “Sansad Chalo”. The march, which took place on July 20, saw thousands of youngsters converging on the streets near Parliament, demanding a clean‑up of the examination system and an end to the paper‑leak scandal.

According to reports, the police responded with a mix of tear‑gas canisters, baton‑charges and, most controversially, pellet‑gun fire. One of the injured, a 19‑year‑old named Sahil Lochab, was allegedly hit in the eye, leaving him at risk of partial blindness. Gandhi highlighted Lochab’s case in his post, noting that the young man’s only “offence” was demanding a fair future for his peers.

“Pellet guns, lathis and tear‑gas were used against students peacefully protesting in Delhi,” Gandhi wrote. “I met 19‑year‑old Sahil Lochab. Shot with pellets, he may lose an eye. His ‘crime’? Demanding an end to paper leaks and a fair future for our students.” He then followed up with two pointed questions for Shah: “Did you approve the use of lethal force, including pellet guns, against students? If not, who did? Were the men in plain clothes beating students with lathis police personnel or volunteers? Who authorised their deployment?”

The opposition leader didn’t stop at a tweet. He also sent a formal letter to Shah, alleging that the security forces had employed “indiscriminate force” and that women demonstrators, in particular, were singled out for harsh treatment. Gandhi described the episode as a “barbaric assault” and demanded to know who gave the order to “kill the students”. He reminded the minister that, as the head of internal security, the Home Minister ultimately answers for the conduct of the forces on the ground.

“Peaceful protest is crucial to any democracy,” Gandhi wrote. “It is the government’s responsibility to protect protestors and resolve their grievances through dialogue. Such brutal violence destroys every norm, and has outraged the country. Youth and students, the future of our nation, are demanding answers and accountability. Their voice will be heard.”

The controversy comes on the heels of a political shake‑up in New Delhi. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned amid the turmoil, and Pralhad Joshi was sworn in as the new education minister on Sunday. The resignation was seen by many analysts as a tacit acknowledgment that the government had mishandled the student unrest.

Meanwhile, the protests themselves have taken on a life of their own. The CJP, initially a fringe group, drew national attention after activist Sonam Wangchuk began a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar. Their “Sansad Chalo” march, intended as a symbolic walk to Parliament, ended in a clash that left dozens injured and a whole lot of political dust swirling.

Whether Shah will respond directly to Gandhi’s queries remains to be seen. But the opposition’s framing of the incident – as a question of “lethal force” against democratic dissent – is likely to keep the issue alive in the media cycle and in parliamentary debates for the foreseeable future.

For now, the students remain on the streets, their demands echoing across Delhi’s avenues: a transparent NEET‑UG examination, an end to paper leaks, and—perhaps most importantly—a promise that future protests will be met with dialogue, not gunfire.