Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was absent from Parliament amid the controversy over the alleged police action against student protesters, asking why he was "so scared" of facing the House and alleging that it "reeks of guilt." In a post on X, Gandhi said, "Why is Amit Shah so scared of coming to Parliament and explaining the brutal violence against students? It reeks of guilt."
The remarks came hours after Gandhi demanded an independent Supreme Court-monitored high-powered committee to investigate the alleged police action during the July 20 student protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. In another post on X, Gandhi said, "Students deserve justice. An independent SC monitored high powered committee must be constituted to probe brutalities against our students." He also shared a video purportedly showing the police action against protesters. The footage appears to show police personnel lathi-charging demonstrators, while another clip shows a man in alleged civil dress forcefully throwing a student protester carrying the Indian flag onto the road. ANI has not independently verified the authenticity of the video or the circumstances in which it was recorded. The developments come amid mounting pressure from the Opposition, which staged a protest at Makar Dwar in the Parliament complex on Thursday over the alleged police action against student protesters and the alleged embezzlement of donations made at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya.
MPs from several INDIA bloc parties gathered around 10.30 am, holding placards questioning who ordered the alleged police action at Jantar Mantar and raising slogans demanding accountability from the Centre. Earlier, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain said the Opposition had sought the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a statement in Parliament on the alleged police action, and an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also questioned the absence of the Union Home Minister, saying the Delhi Police functions under the Union Home Ministry and that Amit Shah should answer questions regarding the alleged incident. The protest came ahead of the Rajya Sabha taking up the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, which seeks to strengthen the legal framework against examination-related malpractices through enhanced punishments, a Special Task Force for investigations and Special Fast Track Courts for time-bound trials.