Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of being responsible for the alleged police violence against students protesting the paper leak issue and claiming that he lacked the courage to explain the incident in Parliament.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha made the remarks after meeting a group of students who had protested last month, demanding the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the paper leak controversy. The students have alleged police excesses during the July 20 protest.
"I just met young protesters from various states and had a discussion. I want to thank them and I am proud of thousands of students like them as they fought for the Constitution, the education system and the future of India," Gandhi told reporters outside former Congress president Sonia Gandhi's 10, Janpath residence.
"They mentioned to me how they were assaulted, beaten and threatened.They have defended the Constitution, protected the idea of India and the future of India," Gandhi said, flanked by the students.
He said raising concerns about the country's education system was not a crime and argued that students were demanding reforms, not resorting to violence.
"If anything, the system needs to be changed, it needs to be corrected and that is all they (the students) were asking for. They were not indulging in violence, they were not being aggressive or nasty. They were beaten, assaulted and threatened," Gandhi alleged.
On the alleged police brutality student protesters, Gandhi said, "Forcing them, sending 'goondas' and forcibly taking their apology, taking apology from a 15-year-old and accepting that apology, is nonsense and unacceptable to us," he said.
Gandhi said the country needed an education system that worked and urged an end to exam paper leaks. He also directly targeted Shah, alleging that the Union home minister was accountable for the alleged violence against the protesters.
"The person who is responsible for this violence is the home minister."
"The person who had pellet gun fired at this young lady, the person who had a pellet gun fired at that young man whom I brought before the press a few days ago, the person who has turned the police force against this young lady, is Amit Shah and he is the home minister of India," Gandhi said.
"He (Shah) does not have the decency to come to Parliament. He does not have the decency or the courage to comment on what has happened.
"There are two possibilities, he did not know that violence was carried out on children, in which case he is incompetent; or he ordered that the pellet gun be fired and violence unleashed against youngsters, which means he is culpable. Either way, he is responsible," the former Congress chief said.
(With inputs from PTI)
