Rahul Gandhi Contests Rijiju's Claim That No Students Were Seriously Injured In Protests

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday criticised Union Minister Kiren Rijiju over his remarks that no protesters suffered serious injuries during the student-led demonstrations in July. Gandhi said he had personally met injured protesters and accused the government of trying to deny what happened during the clashes. He also alleged that excessive force was used against students who marched towards Parliament.

Gandhi shared a video of Rijiju's comments on social media and alleged that protesters faced pellet firing and lathis allegedly fitted with nails during the July 20 demonstration. He claimed that one student lost an eye and another suffered a serious injury to her ear. Gandhi questioned the government's praise for the Delhi Police, asking whether authorities should be commended for what he described as brutality against protesting students.

The Congress leader said thousands of videos of the police action had circulated and insisted that the protesters themselves could recall what happened. He accused the government of first using force against students and subsequently claiming that no serious injuries had occurred. Gandhi further alleged that the administration was unwilling to acknowledge mistakes and warned against attempting to mislead young protesters about events they had personally witnessed.

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Rijiju, meanwhile, defended the police response during an interview with news agency ANI. Responding to questions about the protests, he said no person had died, no protester had suffered a broken bone and no one had been admitted to hospital with a serious injury. He argued that the Delhi Police and administration deserved praise for controlling what he described as a large and potentially volatile demonstration without fatalities.

The Union minister also alleged that people from several political groups had joined the protests and provoked the crowd under the cover of student participation. He said the protesters were stopped only after they attempted to march forcefully towards Parliament and maintained that the police had not used lathis during the demonstration. Rijiju contrasted the episode with protests during previous Congress-led governments, claiming that thousands of people had been killed in such situations.

The exchange has intensified the political dispute over the handling of the student protests and the allegations surrounding police action. Gandhi's remarks focused on the experiences of injured protesters and the need for the government to acknowledge their claims, while Rijiju maintained that the administration handled the situation peacefully and prevented serious consequences. The contrasting accounts are likely to keep the July protest response at the centre of political debate.

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