New Delhi, Aug 10: Upping the ante against the government over the alleged police “brutalities” against student protesters, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday pushed for Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image has been “destroyed” and can never be rebuilt.
The former Congress president said the youth of India will not allow the prime minister and the home minister, or any official, to escape the consequences of their actions.
On July 20, 2026, thousands of youths across India demanded accountability from those they elected to office and sooner or later, they will get that accountability, Gandhi said in an article published in The Hindu.
“On July 20, 2026, India’s young people came together to demand a fair education system and accountability for paper leaks. These young women and men came from every caste, class, region and religion,” he said.
They were brave enough to demand justice, wise enough to know their Constitutional rights, tender enough to laugh at their own turmoil, and earnest enough to believe that they could fight and win, the Congress leader said.
The nation watched the protesters in awe, as they sang, danced, laughed, held hands and stood together, he said.
“Their resistance gave voice to the pain both of their own generation, and of crores of Indians who are suffering but have been silenced by fear,” he said.
Gandhi stressed that the protests carried forward India’s proud legacy of peaceful resistance, a tradition which won it independence and is protected by Article 19 of the Constitution.
“Yet, the government tried to crush the youth’s voice with a brutal assault. They were attacked with tear gas shells, beaten with nail-studded lathis and shot with pellet guns,” he said Gandhi cited the example of 19-year-old Sahil Lochab, whom he had earlier met, saying he had hundreds of lead pellets lodged all over his body.
“A pellet struck his eye, likely blinding him. Policemen wielding batons brutally assaulted young women, injuring many on their private parts.
Minors were beaten with lathis, their bones broken, gashes and bruises on their bodies,” he said.
In Bihar, student protesters were shot with firearms, including an AK-47, in Siwan, leaving many severely injured, he said.
Who authorised this “illegal and unconstitutional violence”, Gandhi asked.
“The Narendra Modi government prides itself on its centralised control.
“Whether it is a mission to Mars or an Olympic medal, it repeatedly trumpets that the credit is due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Nothing moves without their approval,” he said.
The violence happened in the heart of Delhi, barely 500 metres from Parliament and both the security forces deployed, Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force (RAF), report directly to the home minister, he pointed out.
“There are only two possibilities. First, he (Shah) authorised the attack on the students — in which case he is culpable. Second, he had no idea that it was taking place — which means that he is entirely incompetent.
“Either way, as Home Minister, what happened on that day is his responsibility, and he must resign,” Gandhi said in his article.
Instead, Shah’s inaction proves that he approves of the attack on students, he said.
“He (Shah) has not ordered any inquiry or even issued a statement. He has refused to come to Parliament and motions filed daily by the Opposition asking for a discussion have been summarily rejected,” the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
“At the same time, Prime Minister Modi, desperate to protect his image, has activated his propaganda machinery and Godi media. First information reports and detentions of young protesters continue, in order to intimidate them. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s online trolls threaten young female protesters and their parents, forcing them to issue public apologies,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi personally made a video “forgiving” the youth of India for exercising their legitimate right to express themselves, he said.
How absurd it is for a prime minister to forgive his own people when they are demanding accountability, Gandhi asked.
“Since Prime Minister Modi is clearly so out of touch, let me warn him – young people across the country have awakened. His image is destroyed and can never be rebuilt. The youth of India will not allow him, Home Minister Shah, or any official to escape the consequences of their actions,” Gandhi said.
“We in the Opposition stand with the youth. We will not allow these crimes to pass unpunished,” he asserted.
Pointing out that on July 20, 2026, Sahil and thousands of young people across India demanded accountability from those they elected to office, Gandhi said sooner or later, they will get that accountability.
“And we will ensure it,” Gandhi added.
Sharing a screenshot of Gandhi’s article on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi raised the voice of protesting students in The Hindu today.
“The nation has had enough of this Union Home Minister who is full of bluff, bombast, and bluster. He must RESIGN.” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also shared Gandhi’s opinion piece and said he has raised the voice of the youth.
Gandhi on Sunday had questioned Shah’s silence over alleged police brutalities against protesting students and asserted that sooner or later, the BJP leader would have to answer for “this crime”.
Both Houses of Parliament remain deadlocked over the opposition’s demand that Shah should make a statement in both Houses on the alleged police brutalities during the students’ July 20 protest over the paper-leak issue.
Most of the legislative business has been conducted amid din. (Agencies)
