Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of ordering police force against students protesting NEET paper leaks on Wednesday.
The allegations center on the government's response to widespread unrest over exam irregularities. Gandhi's claims suggest a direct link between the Home Ministry and police brutality, escalating tensions during the 2026 monsoon session of Parliament.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said that Shah authorized the use of pellets or shooting against protesters [1, 2]. He further denounced the government's anti-paper-leak legislation, describing the bill as a punitive tool aimed at students rather than a solution to systemic failures [2, 3].
"If the Home Minister did not know that firing was taking place, it means he is incompetent. Otherwise, he ordered it, in which case he is culpable," Gandhi said [3].
The speech sparked an immediate uproar in the chamber, following a one-week washout of Lok Sabha proceedings [4]. Members of the BJP and government ministers reacted to the accusations, with some calling the speech a "bundle of lies" [5].
Kiren Rijiju, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, said the government would not tolerate baseless allegations against the Home Minister [2]. Similarly, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said Gandhi was given a full opportunity to speak [4].
Gandhi's criticism extended beyond the Home Minister to include the BJP and the RSS, framing the current administration's approach to student dissent as oppressive. The debate occurred as the government prepared to present the Public Examinations (Amendment) Bill to address the leakages in the NEET-UG exams [3, 4].
“"If the Home Minister did not know that firing was taking place, it means he is incompetent. Otherwise, he ordered it, in which case he is culpable."”
This confrontation highlights the deepening divide between the Indian government and the opposition over the handling of educational integrity and civil liberties. By framing the anti-paper-leak bill as a punitive measure and linking the Home Minister to police violence, the opposition is attempting to shift the narrative from administrative failure to state-sponsored oppression. The timing of these accusations during the monsoon session suggests a strategy to disrupt the legislative process and mobilize student sentiment against the ruling party.
