Have you authorized the use of lethal weapons against students, Rahul Gandhi asks Home Minister Amit Shah
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to take responsibility for the “barbaric attack on students who were peacefully protesting in Delhi” on July 20, 2026. Mr Gandhi asked Mr Shah whether he had authorized the use of “lethal force”.
Opposition parties are likely to raise the issue on the floor of the House on Monday (July 27, 2026) and demand an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources told The Hindu.
Peaceful protest is essential for any democracy and it is the government’s responsibility to protect the protesters and address their grievances through dialogue, the Congress leader said.
In his letter dated Saturday (July 25, 2006), Mr. Gandhi said the students were demanding a fair and accountable education system, but instead of being heard, the security forces attacked them with indiscriminate force, including lethal weapons and tear gas.
“Hundreds of people suffered serious injuries. Female students were assaulted by the police, including by deliberately targeting their private parts. Most shocking was the use of lethal firearms,” Mr Gandhi said in his letter, a copy of which he posted on his X handle on Sunday (July 26, 2026).
Mr Gandhi referred to an encounter with 19-year-old student Sahil Lochab, who may have lost his sight due to a gunshot wound, in a case first reported by The Hindu.
“As Home Minister, did you approve the use of lethal force, including firearms, against students? If not, who did? Are people in plainclothes seen beating students with lathis by police personnel or volunteers? Who authorized their use?” said Mr. Gandhi in his letter.
When asked whether the Rapid Action Force was authorized to use firearms during the protest, GP Singh, Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force, referred to an “after the fact assessment”. “Now that the agitation has been called off and the people gathered have dispersed, we would do a professional assessment after the event as we do after any major task and then we will give you the view of the Force Headquarters,” Mr Singh told The Hindu.
On Saturday (July 26, 2026), the Opposition Leader directly accused the Home Secretary of using “deadly weapons and firearms” in police action.
“We will not accept our own forces shooting at the future of India. So this will be the main issue in Parliament,” Gandhi said.
Asked whether the opposition would disrupt the proceedings in Parliament, Mr Gandhi said it would be decided at a meeting of opposition leaders on Monday (July 27, 2026) morning.
But after tasting success with the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the opposition is sure to seek to expand the boundaries and arrest the government on issues including chadhawachori (theft of temple donations) and the use of ethanol fuel.
Opposition parties, especially the Samajwadi Party (SP), want to corner the Narendra Modi government over the alleged misappropriation of donations for the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in early 2027, the SP wants to impress the core voters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – the Ram bhaktas or devotees of Lord Ram – by highlighting the issue of gift theft.
The Congress has already held more than 50 press conferences on chadhawa chori and pressed for the Prime Minister’s statement on the issue of theft of donations at Ram Temple.
Opposition parties are also keen to point out the impact of ethanol fuel use on the middle class.
With the Cockroach Janta party leading the Gen Z protests and the government trying to sideline the opposition, it is keen to take an aggressive stance on the anti-paper leakage bill the government will introduce in Parliament in the second week of the monsoon session.
(With inputs from Sobhana K. Nair and Vijaya Singh.)
Published – 26 Jul 2026 15:25 IST