Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday demanded the resignation of union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of being directly responsible for the alleged police crackdown on student protesters during the “Sansad Chalo” march, and called for an independent Supreme Court-monitored inquiry into the use of force by law enforcement agencies.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi after a stormy debate in the Lok Sabha on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, Gandhi alleged that the Narendra Modi government had suppressed dissent, prevented him from completing his speech in Parliament, and sought to shield the Home Minister from accountability over the police action against students protesting the alleged NEET examination paper leak.
The media interaction came shortly after heated exchanges in the Lok Sabha, where repeated objections from Treasury benches resulted in the Chair expunging portions of Gandhi’s remarks concerning Amit Shah.
Gandhi said he had called the press conference to complete the arguments he was not permitted to make inside the House. “I will never apologise to the BJP, the RSS or anyone connected to them.
Raising issues concerning the people is my democratic right and my responsibility as the Leader of the Opposition,” Gandhi said.
He alleged that his microphone was switched off in the Lok Sabha when he named the union Home Minister and claimed he had been denied the opportunity to place his charges on the parliamentary record.
Launching a direct attack on Shah, Gandhi alleged that the Home Minister was responsible for the police action against students who participated in the July 20 “Sansad Chalo” march in Delhi.
“The Home Minister authorised the shooting of our students. He put pellets into the blood of our students. He ordered the students of India to be shot,” Gandhi alleged while displaying photographs of injured protesters.
He also claimed that security personnel had used pellet guns, batons fitted with nails and facial recognition technology to suppress peaceful demonstrations.
Questioning Shah’s role, Gandhi said there could be only two explanations for the incident. “Either the Home Minister ordered the firing or he was unaware of it. In the first case he is guilty; in the second case he is incompetent,” he said, asserting that Shah was “either culpable or incompetent” and asking why the Home Minister had not been present in the Lok Sabha to respond to the allegations.
Gandhi demanded the constitution of an independent committee under the supervision of the Supreme Court to investigate the alleged police excesses and fix accountability for the use of force against students.
Claiming that the crackdown had been sanctioned at the highest levels, Gandhi alleged that senior members of the government were fully aware of the developments.
“This was not an isolated police action. The highest levels of government knew exactly what was happening,” he said, claiming he had personally witnessed political leaders interacting with police personnel during the protests.
Reiterating the Opposition’s demand for accountability over both the alleged examination irregularities and the police response to student demonstrations, Gandhi said the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as education minister, following weeks of nationwide protests, did not resolve the larger issues confronting the education sector.
“Dharmendra Pradhan was only a symbol. He never really ran the Education Ministry. The RSS runs it. The soul of our education system has been captured by the RSS,” he alleged.
The Congress leader further accused the government of fostering an education system that discourages critical thinking and independent inquiry. “They are not allowed to be students. They are not allowed to pursue their passions or ask difficult questions. Every university has an RSS-backed Vice-Chancellor. The real enemy is not an individual minister; the real enemy is the RSS,” Gandhi alleged.
Recalling his interactions with students during the Congress’ “Chhatron ki Goonj” programme, Gandhi said he found young people to be courageous and optimistic despite what he described as an atmosphere of intimidation. “I saw profound hope and fearlessness in the youth of this country.
They told those in power that they would never become blind followers and would never allow anyone to dictate their future. That is the soul of India speaking,” he said.
Praising the student protesters, Gandhi added, “Their parents may have been afraid to confront the BJP and the RSS, but these young people stood firm. The real battle is overcoming fear, and they have done exactly that.”
Referring to his speech in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day, Gandhi said he had quoted an 18-year-old student who distinguished between genuine students who remain open to learning and those who refuse to entertain differing views before using the term “andhbhakts.” He maintained that he was merely quoting the student’s words and was not referring to any member of Parliament.
The controversy erupted during the Lok Sabha debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, when Treasury bench members objected strongly to Gandhi’s allegations against the Home Minister.
The Chair repeatedly intervened during the proceedings and ordered portions of his speech to be expunged.
The developments come amid nationwide protests over the alleged NEET examination paper leak and growing concerns about the credibility of India’s public examination system.
While the Opposition has accused the Centre of failing to protect students and ensure accountability for both the examination irregularities and the police response to protests, the government has maintained that the amendment legislation is intended to strengthen the legal framework to curb paper leaks and other unfair practices in public examinations.
