New Delhi, 10 August (H.S.): Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, in an article published in an English daily, has demanded accountability from the government over the police action against students during a protest near Parliament on July 20. He said responsibility must be fixed for the use of tear gas, batons and pellet guns against the protesters, and the Central Government must clarify who authorised the action against the students.

Rahul Gandhi said that if Union Home Minister Amit Shah had authorised the action, he should be held responsible for it. If he was unaware of the action, he said, it would point to serious administrative incompetence.

Referring to the protest by young people who had travelled to Delhi from across the country on July 20, Rahul Gandhi said they were demanding a fair education system and accountability in cases of paper leaks. He said the youngsters had upheld the country’s tradition of peaceful protest and sought justice in exercise of their constitutional rights.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government used force to suppress the voices of the protesting youth. He claimed that tear-gas shells, pointed batons and pellet guns were used against the protesters. He also referred to incidents of firing at student protesters in Bihar, saying several demonstrators were injured in different parts of the state, including Araria and Siwan.

Rahul Gandhi said he had met 19-year-old student Sahil Lochab, who had suffered pellet injuries to the upper part of his body. One of the pellets had struck his eye, putting his eyesight at risk.

In his article, Rahul Gandhi questioned who had authorised the action against students barely 500 metres from Parliament. He said Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force, among other security personnel, were present at the site and came under the authority of the Union Home Ministry. He questioned whether the Home Minister had directed the action against the students or was unaware that it was taking place.

Rahul Gandhi said there were only two possibilities. First, if the Home Minister had authorised the action, he should bear responsibility for it. Second, if he had no knowledge of the operation, it represented a serious case of administrative failure.

He further alleged that even after the incident, the Home Minister neither ordered an inquiry nor made a statement on the matter in Parliament. The Opposition, he said, had repeatedly demanded a discussion on the issue in Parliament, but its demand was not accepted.

Rahul Gandhi said the government must respond to the grievances raised by the students and explain the action taken against them. He also alleged that young women who participated in the protests, along with their parents, were being targeted on social media and pressured into issuing public apologies.

In his article, Rahul Gandhi said the country’s youth were becoming increasingly aware and were questioning government policies and its functioning. He asserted that the demand for accountability raised by Sahil and thousands of young people from across the country who participated in the July 20 protest could not be ignored.

He said the Opposition stood firmly with the country’s youth and would continue to raise their concerns.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar