Pradhan criminal education minister, Modi must apologise for police action: Rahul

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a blistering attack on the Centre over the alleged use of force against students protesting the NEET paper leak, branding Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan a "criminal education minister" and demanding his immediate removal.

Standing alongside a student protester who was allegedly struck by pellets during the 20 July march in Delhi, Gandhi accused the government of attacking the country's future and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise to students.

"You are saying that protesters have been hit by pellet guns. I want to explain when pellet guns were fired. My brother was struck by a pellet gun when he was peacefully protesting with a tricolour in hand," Gandhi told reporters outside Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence.

The LoP then lifted the student's T-shirt to show injuries on his torso, telling reporters that the pellet had also damaged one of his eyes. "This is the future of our country," Gandhi said, gesturing towards the injured youth. "This has happened to thousands of young people. They have been shot at with pellet guns and beaten in lathi-charges. What were they doing? They were protesting peacefully."

Identifying the student as Sahil, Gandhi said he had appeared for a police recruitment examination only to see the process tainted by a paper leak. "His mother and father worked hard to give him this opportunity. The government must stop lying. The government has attacked our future," he said.

Gandhi said students were making three demands: the removal of Pradhan, action against those responsible for allegedly firing pellets and baton-charging protesters, and an apology from PM Modi.

"The education minister, because of whom students are protesting and paper leaks happened, must be removed. Action must be taken against those who fired at our future and beat them with lathis. Narendra Modi, who operates this system, should apologise to thousands of students," he said, adding that doctors were still uncertain whether Sahil would regain vision in his injured eye.

Calling on the government to "stop assaulting and threatening our students", Gandhi described Pradhan as "a criminal education minister" and "a symbol of the collapse of India's education system".

"Pradhan is the reason this brother has been shot. He is the reason thousands of young people are on the streets protesting," Gandhi alleged.

Sahil, who said he was struck in the right eye by pellets, demanded justice. He has undergone one surgery to remove pellets and repair the eye and is awaiting another. After receiving initial treatment at Lady Hardinge Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, he was shifted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre on 21 July.

His injuries have intensified questions over whether pellet guns were used during the protest.

Delhi Police has denied using pellet guns against demonstrators during the march. The CRPF, whose Rapid Action Force personnel were also deployed, has not responded to questions on the allegation.

Pellet guns, which fire cartridges containing hundreds of metal or rubber pellets that disperse over a wide area, were controversially deployed in Jammu and Kashmir to control protests, most notably after the unrest of 2010 and again following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in 2016. Their use drew widespread criticism after hundreds of civilians suffered severe eye injuries, with many left partially or permanently blind.

With PTI inputs