Rahul Gandhi’s Letter to Amit Shah: Demanding Answers Over Pellet‑Gun Crackdown on Delhi Students

On July 25, Rahul Gandhi penned a forceful note to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asking a simple yet stark question: Did you personally approve the use of lethal force against students?

The letter refers to the July 20 crackdown in Delhi, when demonstrators – mostly young scholars demanding a fair, transparent education system – were met not with dialogue but with a wave of police aggression. Gandhi describes it as a “barbaric assault,” pointing to reports of pellet‑gun fire that left dozens with serious injuries.

He even mentions a harrowing encounter with 19‑year‑old Sahil Lochab, who, according to the Congress leader, is in excruciating pain and may lose an eye after being struck by pellets. The image of a student’s eye, swelled and bleeding, has been replayed across social media, turning the incident into a flashpoint of outrage.

Beyond the pellets, Gandhi is puzzled about the plain‑clothes individuals seen beating protesters with lathis. Were they police officers off‑duty, or hired volunteers? Who gave them the green light to act?

He reminds Shah that peaceful protest is a cornerstone of democracy. Governments, he argues, should protect demonstrators, not shoot at them. The letter says the nation is watching, and that young people will keep raising their voices until accountability is delivered.

The protests themselves sprang from the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a satirical movement that morphed into a genuine youth‑driven demand for transparency after a leak in the NEET exam. Starting at Jantar Mantar on June 20, the march gathered momentum when activist Sonam Wangchuk joined and began an indefinite fast on June 28, only to end it after the Centre opened talks.

On July 20, the first formal meeting between the CJP leadership and the government took place at BJP chief JP Nadda’s residence. Yet, as the protesters headed toward Parliament, police clashed with them, widening the controversy and drawing even more sympathy for the students.

Gandhi’s letter, while firm, leaves the ball in Shah’s court: either acknowledge the mistake, name the decision‑makers, or risk further erosion of public trust.