Gandhi vs. Modi: Student crackdown puts Indian government under fire

Indian National Congress (INC) leader Rahul Gandhi has sharply criticised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary over recent police action against protesting students.

Gandhi posted a video of his meeting with students from Bihar who were subjected to “horrific police brutality” after speaking out against alleged irregularities in the examination system, Caliber.Az reports, citing Indian website Muslim Mirror.

In a post in Hindi, he asked what sin these children had committed that they were fired upon. According to Gandhi, the students were demanding just three things from the government: education, employment and accountability.

He described specific injuries, noting that one student’s leg was shattered by an AK-47 bullet, destroying his dream of joining the armed forces. Bullets also pierced the shoulders of two other students.

Gandhi stressed that these were not criminals but children from poor families who took to the streets to fulfil the hopes of their loved ones.

“The bullet wounds will heal, but where is the hospital that treats the fear that has now settled deep inside these children?” he asked. Addressing the Indian prime minister and the state chief directly, he said broken bones could be treated but questioned whether shattered dreams could be restored.

After meeting the students, Gandhi warned that any government that suppresses the voice of young people will eventually have to answer to the people. He said police used batons and also fired AK-47 rifles and pistols, leaving many people injured.

Gandhi argued that the Indian government could not evade responsibility by blaming lower-level officials, describing the actions as either an order from “above” or a sign of administrative failure.

The protests, which began in early August, saw violent clashes in Patna after job seekers attempted to march to the chief minister’s residence, demanding a single-level examination for teacher recruitment and transparent procedures. Opposition leaders, including Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), backed the students.