NEW DELHI — Tensions flared on the opening day of the Monsoon Session’s second week as opposition parties mounted a coordinated attack on the Central government, submitting adjournment motion notices in both Houses of Parliament over Delhi Police’s action against protesting students.
The controversy stems from a July 20 demonstration at Jantar Mantar, where thousands of medical aspirants gathered to demand accountability regarding the alleged NEET-UG paper leaks. As students attempted to march toward Parliament, police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel deployed lathi charges, tear gas, and allegedly used non-lethal riot gear, including pellet guns and shock batons, to disperse the crowd.
Opposition Demands Answers in Lok Sabha
In the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Manickam Tagore led the charge by filing an Adjournment Motion Notice, accusing the government of failing to prevent the crisis and taking responsibility for what he termed "excessive and lethal force."
Tagore highlighted severe injuries sustained by student demonstrators, specifically pointing to 19-year-old Sahil Lochab, who reportedly suffered critical eye trauma from pellet impacts, and Shaikh Irshad Mansoori, who required surgery to remove pellets lodged in his upper body. The notice also criticized the presence of plainclothes officers and alleged mistreatment of female protesters during the crackdown.
Adding momentum to the parliamentary showdown, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagar (DMK) MP T.R. Baalu filed a separate notice seeking an immediate debate on abolishing the NEET examination altogether, while calling for a high-level inquiry into police conduct.
The notices follow a stern letter sent by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in which Gandhi condemned the "barbaric assault on peaceful student protesters" and asked whether the use of force was officially authorized under the ministry's oversight.
Rajya Sabha Suspensions Demanded
The outrage extended into the Upper House as well. DMK MP Tiruchi Siva and Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain moved notices under Rule 267 to suspend all scheduled business to deliberate on the crackdown and the broader fallout of the national medical entrance test.
"We call upon the Union Home Minister to make a comprehensive statement fixing responsibility and explaining the authorization of police action," said Hussain. He further urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reassure the nation that the constitutional right to peaceful assembly would be upheld.
Echoing similar concerns, Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala demanded formal statements from both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister addressing the incident, accountability within law enforcement, and redress for injured students.
With key legislative bills lined up for the session, the government faces an uphill task as a united Opposition signals that normal proceedings will remain disrupted until a formal debate on the student crackdown is granted.
