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COVER STORY JULY 31, 2026 | The Indian Eye 5

position in the Lok Sabha and Con- alleged examination irregularities
gress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday steadily transformed into a broader
launched a direct attack on Union political issue. Initially, the govern-
Home Minister Amit Shah, holding ment’s response focused on adminis-
him personally responsible for police trative measures, investigations into
action and excessive use of force, in- alleged paper leaks and assurances
cluding allegedly using pellet guns, that the integrity of the examination
against student protesters in the na- process would be protected. How-
tional capital. Speaking at a press ever, sustained protests at Jantar
conference, Gandhi alleged that Mantar have shifted the narrative
Shah authorised the usage of lethal from procedural lapses to political
weapons during the protests, citing it accountability.
as a fundamental issue in Parliament. Student movements have histor-
“We hold Amit Shah directly ically occupied a unique place in In-
responsible for the violence that has dia’s democratic landscape.
taken place against our students. He Unlike protests centered on
authorised the shooting of our stu- sector-specific demands, student ag-
dents. He authorised the use of le- Union Ministers JP Nadda, Jitendra Singh and Cockroach Janta Party’s Chief Spokesperson itations often evolve into wider de-
thal weapons, including pellet guns, Saurav Das during a press conference, in New Delhi on Saturday. (ANI Photo/Naveen Sharma) bates about governance, fairness and
against our students. For us, this is opportunity. They attract sympathy
a fundamental issue. We will not ac- because they are associated with as-
cept our own forces shooting at the don’t think they can take these, but Janata Party (CJP), which has been pirations rather than vested interests.
future of India. This will be a major let’s see. The students had two more demanding accountability over al- India has witnessed several stu-
issue in Parliament,” he said, demands. They should not be forgot- leged paper leaks. On July 20, the dent-led movements that eventually
Gandhi emphasised that the ten. The first demand is that action group organised a ‘Sansad Chalo’ influenced national politics. The Nav
protests were a direct outcome of the should be taken against both the march from Jantar Mantar to the Nirman movement in Gujarat during
failed “education system, media sys- implementers and organisers who Parliament, during which instances the 1970s, the student participation
tem, and job creation system” in the attacked, assaulted, and beat the of laathi charge and tear gas shelling in Jayaprakash Narayan’s movement
country, adding that this could seri- students, and that action should be were reported to disperse the huge against the Emergency, the Mandal
ously impact the country in case of an visible. The students should see that crowd gathered in central Delhi. Commission protests of the early
economic crisis in the future. these people have been punished for Earlier, The Union govern- 1990s, and more recent demonstra-
“The students are also demand- this reason. Secondly, the main oper- ment’s decision to engage directly tions over university autonomy and
ing an apology from the Prime Min- ator of the system, Narendra Modi ji, with representatives of the student citizenship laws all demonstrated the
ister. This protest has happened, and should apologise to the students of movement protesting at Jantar Man- capacity of youth mobilizations to
the deeper reason behind it is that India,” he said. tar reflects the growing political sig- shape political narratives.
India’s systems- the job creation sys- Calling Dharmendra Pradhan “a nificance of the agitation over alleged Not every student protest devel-
tem, education system, institution- symbol of corruption and destruction irregularities in the National Eligi- ops into a mass political movement.
al system, and media system have of the education system,” Gandhi bility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). Many lose momentum once immedi-
been destroyed. They have ceased to said that the government will have to While the Centre has not accepted ate grievances are addressed. How-
function effectively. There are conse- take concrete steps to make reforms the protesters’ principal demand for ever, governments have traditionally
quences to this. We are now facing a in the education system. the resignation of Union Education treated such protests with caution
serious economic crisis. During times The resignation came after Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, it because they resonate strongly with
of serious economic crisis, these sys- weeks of nationwide protests over al- has demonstrated a willingness to ne- middle-class families, whose children
tems become even more important. leged examination irregularities and gotiate on other key issues, signaling are directly affected by educational
The government should understand a 26-day hunger strike led by Wangc- that the movement has become too policies.
that what has happened here is just huk at Jantar Mantar. The agitation important to ignore. The significance of the protests
one step in a much deeper problem,” was spearheaded by the Cockroach What began as outrage over extends beyond a single examination.
he said. Over the past several years, concerns
The Congress MP further under- over examination paper leaks, re-
lined that these student protests were cruitment irregularities and delays
a stern warning to the government, in competitive examinations have
saying that it is high time that the emerged in multiple states and across
centre stop treating the country as its different recruitment agencies.
“personal fiefdom.” Gandhi added The participation of civil society
that if the government continues to figures such as Sonam Wangchuk has
ignore the youth, a similar situation further broadened the movement’s
with a greater impact could arise in appeal. Unlike conventional political
the future. protests, student movements often
LoP Rahul Gandhi demanded attract support from parents, teach-
that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ers, professionals and social organi-
apologise to the students, adding that zations, expanding their influence be-
both implementers and organisers yond traditional partisan boundaries.
who attacked, assaulted, and beat That wider support explains why
the students should be dealt with le- the government chose engagement
gal action. rather than confrontation. Negotia-
“Our education system has tion helps reduce the possibility that
been hollowed out from within. So, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) Founder Abhijeet addresses a press conference at Jantar Mantar (ANI) the protests evolve into a broader cam-
deep steps will have to be taken. I paign questioning governance itself.

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