Kapil Sibal questions Amit Shah’s silence over alleged use of pellet guns on students

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Thursday questioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah's silence over allegations that pellet guns were used against students during the July 20 protest march in Delhi, saying the Home Minister must address Parliament and clarify the government's position.

Speaking on the Parliament premises, Sibal argued that responsibility for the alleged use of pellet guns could not be shifted solely to local authorities, insisting that such decisions would require approval at the highest level.

"Even if the District Magistrate or Sub-Divisional Magistrate takes responsibility, the Home Minister should still make a statement. Why isn't the Home Minister speaking? Because he has no answer," Sibal said.

He maintained that pellet guns could only be deployed under exceptional circumstances and questioned why the Home Minister had neither addressed Parliament nor publicly responded to the allegations.

Sibal also referred to the controversy surrounding the government's initial response, claiming that reports of pellet guns being used were first denied before subsequent accounts suggested otherwise.

The remarks come a day after a heated exchange in Parliament over comments made by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi during a Lok Sabha debate on the anti-paper leak Bill.

Gandhi alleged that Amit Shah had ordered the police action against students protesting in the capital, triggering strong objections from members of the National Democratic Alliance, who described the allegations as false and demanded an apology.

Later, addressing a press conference, Gandhi intensified his criticism of the Home Minister and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove him from office. He also called for an independent investigation monitored by the Supreme Court into the alleged police action.

The Congress leader alleged that the Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force, both functioning under the Union Home Ministry, used excessive force against demonstrators, including pellet guns and lathi charges.

He argued that if the Home Minister had authorised the action, he should be held accountable, and if he had not been aware of it, it reflected a failure of oversight, adding that either scenario warranted his resignation.

The remarks come as the opposition and civil society groups continue to raise concerns over the police response to the 20 July protests. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which spearheaded the nationwide agitation, said it had anticipated legal action against protesters even before its sit-in at Jantar Mantar concluded on 25 July.

According to the organisation, its leadership met senior advocate Kapil Sibal to seek legal guidance on defending protesters facing criminal proceedings across the country.

The CJP has since announced a nationwide legal aid cell and launched SAAKSHI, an online platform to collect evidence related to alleged police action during the protests. Sibal also announced a Rs 1 crore corpus to establish and operate the legal aid network, stating that the funds would be used exclusively to provide legal assistance to protesters facing criminal cases.

With IANS inputs