Beaten, trolled, harassed, undefeated: Gen Z speaks to media alongside Rahul

Standing quietly behind young protesters, listening intently, smiling reassuringly and allowing them to speak uninterrupted, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, 5 August addressed the media for the second time in less than two weeks on the police brutality during the 20 July youth protests in Delhi.

On 25 July, Gandhi had addressed the media with AISA president Neha Bora and other student activists by his side.

Rather than leading the conversation, Gandhi let the students and activists narrate their experiences of assault, detention and intimidation before stepping in to reiterate that the Modi government was trying to harass students and Gen Z protesters.

Doubling down on his attack on Union home minister Amit Shah, Gandhi asked, "Where is Amit Shah hiding?" and repeated his charge that the home minister was "either culpable or incompetent" for the police firing and subsequent crackdown.

"I am very proud of these young people. Speaking out despite everything they have gone through is itself an act of courage," Gandhi said, contrasting the students' willingness to face the media with what he described as the reluctance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah to do so.

"We had a free and frank conversation with some of the young protesters. They spoke about how they were assaulted, beaten and threatened. I am very proud of them and of what they, along with thousands of young Indians like them, have done. They have defended the Constitution. They have protected the idea of India and India's future. Complaining about an education system that is flawed and failing is not a crime. If anything, the system needs to be changed and corrected. We want a better education system, an end to exam leaks, and a secure future for the youth of our country," Gandhi said.

Among those who addressed the media was Riya Ahir, the Mumbai-based young woman whose solo attempt to stop a police van during the protests in Mumbai had gone viral. She said she had faced relentless trolling and abuse on social media for standing up for the students.

"The right wing called me publicity-hungry. But I wasn't there for a photo opportunity. I stood in front of the police van because I wanted to prevent nearly 20 students from being taken away," she said, and questioned the narrative being formed by the mainstream media.

Nutan Tappo, who travelled from Gurugram to join the protest and originally comes from Jharkhand, alleged that she witnessed police personnel firing pellet guns at demonstrators.

Tappo suffered injuries and underwent surgery on her right ear at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on the evening of 20 July. Tappo's account challenges claims by the government and sections of the media that pellet guns were used with restraint and that no police excesses took place during the crackdown.

Another protester, Farah Naaz, recounted being detained by the police for several hours. She alleged that after hearing her name, police realised that she was Muslim, and officers threatened to prepare a separate list of such detainees.

"They asked my name and then said they would make a separate list for such deshdrohi (traitors), but we will continue to fight for the country," she said.

“We demanded the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, and such brutality was inflicted upon us; if we had demanded Amit Shah's resignation, they might have shot us dead,” Bharat Banai said.

A student, posed a question that summed up the protesters' grievances: "We are supposed to get protection from the system. But when the system itself turns against us, where should we go?"

With Gandhi standing silently behind them throughout the interaction, the Congress sought to project the briefing not as a political press conference but as a platform for young protesters to tell their stories directly to the nation.

“Complaining about an education system that is flawed and failing is not a crime. If anything, the system needs to be changed and corrected. We want a better education system, an end to exam leaks, and a secure future for the youth of our country. Accepting their apology by sending goondas to their homes is complete nonsense,” Gandhi said.