Amit Shah ‘directly responsible’ for violence against students, says Rahul Gandhi

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, July 25, 2026, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah was “directly responsible” for the violence against students protesting against the leak of exam papers, accusing Mr Shah of allowing pellet guns to be used against the protesters. Mr Gandhi said all officials responsible for the crackdown should be held accountable.

“We hold Mr. Amit Shah directly responsible for the violence that took place against our students. He allowed our students to be shot; he allowed lethal weapons, pellet guns to be used on our students,” Mr. Gandhi told reporters after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister on the demand of protesters.

Also read | Jantar Mantar protest LIVE

“We will not allow our own forces to strike the future of India. So this will be a major issue in Parliament,” Mr Gandhi said, adding that the government would have to take responsibility for the police action against the students. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he should apologize to them for the “atrocities” committed during the protests.

deeper crisis

The Congress leader said Mr Pradhan’s resignation was “a victory for our students”, describing the former Minister as a “symbol of corruption, destruction of the education system and incompetence”.

But he argued that sacking a Minister would not be a solution to what he described as the deeper crisis facing education and employment in India.

Terming the agitation as a “warning to the BJP-RSS government”, Mr Gandhi said the protests had exposed the collapse in education, job creation and institutional systems.

“This is a warning to the students of India; this is a warning to the Opposition that you cannot run India the way you are running now. This is not your personal fiefdom. This belongs to the people of India, this belongs to the Constitution of India,” he said, warning that the unrest could intensify further if the government does not change course.

‘India’s future will overcome the past’

Mr Gandhi also accused the RSS of emptying India’s education system “like ants” and said concrete reforms would now be required. He argued that the country’s education system had been “attacked, taken over and privatized” and that the protests reflected broader anger over unemployment and the erosion of public institutions.

Describing the movement as a contest between the “past” and the “future”, Mr Gandhi said Mr Modi represented the past while the students represented India’s future. “The past cannot fight the future,” he said, and expressed confidence that “India’s future will defeat the past.”

Earlier in the day, Mr Gandhi met a group of protesting students from Left organisations, including All India Students Union national president Neha Bora, at 10 Janpath, Sonia Gandhi’s official residence, and assured them of the Congress’ continued support.