New Delhi, 27 July (H.S.): Opposition leaders on Monday condemned the alleged violence against students during the Bihar Bandh after a purported video showing AK-47 firing during unrest in Siwan went viral. They accused the authorities of brutality against student protesters and held Union Home Minister Amit Shah accountable for the alleged police action.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha and later shared a video on X, describing the incident as one of the gravest attacks on democracy.

Kharge said that never before in the country's history had students been beaten and dragged like criminals merely for raising their voices. He questioned whether AK-47 rifles had been used against students in Bihar and asked why students were allegedly being targeted in BJP-ruled states. He asserted that those responsible could not escape accountability.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that the entire system had become hostile towards students.

He claimed that reports suggested AK-47 fire had been opened on protesting students in Bihar and that hundreds of students had been arrested, with FIRs being registered against them. Gandhi questioned what had happened to the Prime Minister's assurance that no FIRs would be filed against students and that detained protesters would be released.

Referring to the recent police action in Delhi, he said, Pellet guns were used against students in Delhi, and now AK-47s in Bihar. The pattern is the same everywhere. He demanded that the Prime Minister apologise to students and take action against those responsible.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told reporters that the alleged use of AK-47 rifles and pellet guns against students raised serious concerns.

Are these students terrorists? she asked, adding that fresh FIRs had reportedly been registered against students in Bihar and West Bengal. She also alleged that the parents of several female students were being threatened and questioned over why they had allowed their daughters to participate in the protests. Do girls in India not have the right to take part in peaceful demonstrations? she asked.

Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav also criticised the alleged incident, saying atrocities against young people had continued under the BJP government.

If the reports of AK-47 firing in Bihar are true, it is extremely condemnable. In a democracy, the sentiments and rights of the people are being crushed, she said.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that the Bihar Chief Minister had ordered AK-47 firing on protesting students.

He further claimed that despite an agreement reached with the protesters, thousands of students in Bihar were being booked in false cases, detained, and that their family members were being harassed. Tejashwi warned that if the detained students were not released, the ruling NDA government would have to face the political consequences.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar