2 weeks ago
Gandhi tells Rijiju: Don't lie to country's children over protest
Many students gathered at a place in Delhi called Jantar Mantar to protest.
Police officers also came to the protest.
A government minister named Kiren Rijiju said the police did a good job and that not one person was hurt, nobody broke a bone, and nobody needed to go to the hospital.
A leader named Rahul Gandhi from the Congress party said that is not true.
He said peaceful students were hit with pellet guns and sticks that had nails in them, and he said one child lost an eye and a girl hurt her ear.
Gandhi said he met some of the injured children and that videos of what happened were seen by people all over the country.
He told the government not to lie to the children of the country.
Rijiju said the police only acted after protesters tried to march towards Parliament, and he said nobody died.
The two leaders see the same event very differently, which shows how people can disagree about what happened.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi disputed Union Minister Kiren Rijiju's claim that no protester was harmed during the Jantar Mantar protest.
Rijiju told news agency ANI that not a single person was harmed and no protester suffered a broken bone or an injury requiring hospitalisation.
Gandhi alleged that peaceful students faced pellet guns and batons fitted with nails, claiming one child lost an eye and a girl suffered an ear injury.
Gandhi accused the government of making false claims and said its 'core mantra' was 'lies and violence', also criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not apologising to the students.
Rijiju said police used force only after protesters allegedly tried to march towards Parliament and stressed that no one died during the demonstration.
- Who
- Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom Gandhi criticised.
- What
- A dispute over whether protesters at the Jantar Mantar protest were harmed, with Gandhi disputing Rijiju's claim that no protester suffered serious injuries.
- Where
- Jantar Mantar, Delhi, India, with protesters marching towards Parliament.
- When
- Tuesday, following the Jantar Mantar protest held in July; students had marched towards Parliament on July 20.
- Why
- Gandhi responded after Rijiju defended the Delhi Police's handling of the demonstration and claimed no protester was harmed.
Opposition's View
Government's View
Protest injuries
Opposition's View
Gandhi said peaceful students were hit with pellet guns and nail-studded lathis, claiming one child lost an eye and a girl's ear was injured; one report quotes him saying it was severed.
Government's View
Rijiju said not a single person was harmed and no protester suffered a broken bone or an injury requiring hospitalisation.
Police use of force
Opposition's View
Gandhi called the police response brutality against peaceful students and said the government's 'core mantra' was 'lies and violence.'
Government's View
Rijiju said police used force only after protesters forcefully marched towards Parliament and insisted that not a single lathi was used during the protest.
Who deserves praise
Opposition's View
Gandhi asked 'Should this brutality be praised?' and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not apologising to the protesting students.
Government's View
Rijiju said the Delhi Police and administration deserved praise for handling a massive protest, with thousands turning up, without a single death, noting that such protests under Congress rule killed thousands of people.
Key facts
- Protest location
- Jantar Mantar, Delhi, India
- Protest demand
- Resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
- Protest scale
- Thousands of participants
- Rijiju's claim
- Not a single person harmed; no broken bones or hospitalisation; no lathi used
- Gandhi's counterclaim
- Pellet guns and nail-studded lathis used; one child lost an eye, a girl's ear injured
- Deaths
- None reported
- Rijiju's interview
- Given to news agency ANI
- Gandhi's platform
- Social media platform X
Quotes
Rahul Gandhi
Leader of the Indian National Congress
““Don’t lie to the country’s children,” Gandhi said, asserting that they had both “eyes and memory.””
freepressjournal.in
“"Don't lie to the children of this country. They have eyes and memories too."”
NDTV









