Don't obstruct protesting students, they are India's voice: Rahul to PM Modi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to obstruct protesting students, describing them as the voice of the country, after meeting students who were injured during recent demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha met the students, including members of the Congress's student wing, the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), at Sonia Gandhi's residence at 10 Janpath in New Delhi.

Rahul assured them that action would be pursued against those responsible for alleged misconduct during the protests, from the prime minister to police constables.

During the interaction, some students recounted what they described as inhuman treatment by police personnel during detention. They alleged that officers beat them, including on their private parts, and verbally abused them in an attempt to “teach us a lesson” for participating in the demonstrations.

Several protesters were detained and taken to centres far from the city during recent agitations by student organisations and opposition parties against Kumar and the SIR process.

Describing the students as the Congress's “shers” and “shernis” (lions and lionesses), Rahul urged them not to be afraid.

Introducing an injured woman as “our sherni”, he said, “She was beaten up, but was not afraid. There was no hatred in her heart.”

Rahul calls for unity and accountability

Rahul said Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were confronting the collective voice of the people.

“As I said at my press conference, this is India. Amit Shahji, please see carefully, they are all together. No one is a Muslim, Hindu, no caste, no gender.... They are all together. This is Hindustan,” he said, asking the injured students to stand shoulder to shoulder.

“This is one voice, that of India, and you are standing before this protest and voice. The prime minister is standing before this voice. Amit Shah is standing before this voice. I suggest to the prime minister that he should not stand before this voice. No one can stand before them,” he added.

Rahul also urged students to document alleged police misconduct by recording videos and preserving evidence.

“I also want to tell the police with love that I have asked every student to make videos, keep evidence with them and send it to us. When this entire episode ends, we will get justice and punish those who have beaten up our students, from top to bottom — from Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Gyanesh Kumar to all the constables who are raising their hands on our children,” he said.

In a subsequent post in Hindi on X, Rahul said those attempting to silence democratic voices would eventually face the law. He urged students and young people who had experienced alleged police brutality or unlawful detention to preserve videos, photographs and other records.

“Peaceful protest is your right. We will not allow anyone to snatch it away,” he said.

During the meeting, one injured student played Mahatma Gandhi's favourite hymn, “Vaishnava Jana To”, on a flute and said, “Nafrat ka jawab pyar se diya jaega” (hatred will be answered with love).

One woman student said she had suffered an ear injury and lost her hearing, while another alleged that police personnel had struck her in her private parts.

The allegations of police misconduct were made by the students during their interaction with Rahul. The account provided by the Congress did not include a response from Delhi Police to the specific allegations.