Opposition to Keep Heat on Government Demanding PM’s Apology, Amit Shah’s Accountability
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 26: The proceeding in the two Houses of Parliament are unlikely to be smooth from Monday despite the withdrawal of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led students’ agitation demanding Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as the union education minister on Saturday as the Congress-led opposition are planning to keep the pressure on the government over the alleged police brutality against protesting students, demanding action against those responsible for the assault and an apology from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the same.
However, the proposed bill providing for stringent punishment for the culprits responsible for leaking question papers, which is scheduled to be introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday, may put some damper in the opposition’s move to create unrest in the House. The opposition INDIA bloc’s floor strategy and its stand on the anti-paper leak bill is likely to be finalised at a meeting in the office of the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday morning.
The Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has written a letter to the union home minister Amit Shah seeking accountability for the alleged “barbaric assault” on peacefully protesting students during their “Chalo Sansad” march on July 20 asking him whether he approved the use of “lethal force” including pellet guns by the security forces on the unarmed students.
In his letter on Sunday, Mr Gandhi said peaceful protest was crucial to any democracy, and it was the government’s responsibility to protect protestors and resolve their grievances through dialogue. “Such brutal violence destroys every norm, and has outraged the country. Youth and students, the future of our country, are demanding answers and accountability. Their voice will be heard,” the Congress leader said.
Sharing the letter, Congress general secretary, in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh said Mr Gandhi had posed two questions to Mr Shah: “As the Home Minister, did you authorise the use of lethal force, including pellet guns, against students? If not, who granted this authorisation? Are the individuals seen raining blows on students while dressed in plain clothes, police personnel or volunteers? Who authorised their deployment?” The Home Minister must answer these crucial questions in Parliament tomorrow. The Prime Minister should apologise to the students,” Mr Ramesh said in his post.
The Congress has described Mr Pradhan’s resignation as a victory for students but asserted that the Prime Minister must also apologise to the students. Mr Kharge has said it was now Mr Modi’s turn to apologise and take strict action against all those who used lathis, batons and pellet guns against the agitating students.
After Mr Pradhan’s resignation, Mr Gandhi had also urged the Prime Minister to apologise to the students out of respect for the future of the country and for the “atrocities” committed on them during the agitation. Mr Gandhi said Mr Pradhan’s resignation was a huge step towards rebuilding the education system, asserting that it was a “symbolic step because he was a symbol, but it is still a big step.”
“This is not the end. We still await the prime minister’s apology to our students,” Mr Ramesh said, reiterating the demand for accountability for those responsible for the alleged excesses. A fiery debate on the paper leak issue is on the cards if the government and opposition break the ongoing deadlock in both Houses of Parliament.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, has been circulated to the Lok Sabha members ahead of its introduction. The bill provide for jail terms for a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 10 years, and a fine of up to ₹50 lakh to the individuals involved in paper leaks or unfair means in exams, and a minimum sentence of seven years and a fine of up to ₹10 crore for organised crimes. The existing law has provisions for a minimum of three to five years of imprisonment to curb cheating, while those involved in organised crimes of cheating face five to 10 years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of ₹1 crore.
The bill has been listed for introduction, consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The bills are usually not listed for introduction and passage on the same day. The government announced it was bringing in the proposed legislation after student protests led by the CJP over the NEET paper leak issue gained momentum in recent days.
Protests by opposition parties over the NEET issue led to a washout of proceedings in the first week of the Parliament session. Asked whether the Congress would support the proposed legislation, Mr Gandhi had on Saturday said the party alone cannot take a call on it and the decision would be based on opposition consensus.
“The Congress party has a central principle. We will decide this during a meeting of opposition parties and a decision will be based on opposition consensus. In Parliament, that is our discipline, and that is our way of functioning,” he said.
The 2024 law was brought in when the government faced raging paper leak controversies. Before this legislation, there was no specific substantive law to deal with unfair means adopted or offences committed by various entities involved in the conduct of public examinations by the central government and its agencies.
In the wake of student protests, Mr Modi had promised a law to deal with cases like the NEET-UG paper leak. He had also said cases of accused in such cases would be tried in fast-track courts.
