Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday lauded the “courage and resilience” of the students who protested at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar last month, saying “their voices cannot be silenced”.
“I am proud of every single young person—especially the girls who faced the BJP goons’ misbehavior, verbal abuse, and violence, even being forced to apologize to the Prime Minister. But now their voices cannot be silenced,” he added. “The cops kept hitting me on my knee, they hit me at least seven times. “My ear lobe was cut and hanging. There was a lot of bleeding.
I underwent a two-hour surgery but was discharged just 15 minutes later.
“The policemen kept saying ‘all of you are traitors,” one of the students said. I told them to hit me on my back instead but they did not listen,” the student added. Another female student said she saw a pellet being fired at her during the mayhem, leaving her ear injured. I needed some rest but they asked me to leave,” she said.
Earlier reporting noted: The protesters have also announced plans to burn effigies of Rahul Gandhi and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren during a demonstration later in the day. It is unclear if the forces used metallic or plastic pellets – both of which are available in the inventory. They used some of the filthiest words. How can Prime Minister Narendra Modi say that the students abused him?
At least two rounds of pellets were used on July 20 on the orders of a deputy superintendent of the Delhi Police, according to the statement of a deputy commander of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) recorded in a general diary entry at the Parliament Street police station. We have been protesting peacefully and following Gandhian principles for the past 22 days, but the government seems to be ignoring us.
The government has, however, said that no firing was carried out on that day. A third student, whose video of him refusing to budge and telling the RPF to continue hitting him, said: “The forces hurled abuses at me. The government is now forcing us to follow the path of Bhagat Singh,” he said. Earlier reporting noted: Paswan said the students had now decided to launch a “do-or-die battle” and would continue their agitation until the JSSC examination is cancelled, a CBI probe is ordered and all examinations conducted by TDPL are cancelled.
Earlier reporting noted: “After days of protest, we are now changing our mode of agitation, and somewhere the government itself is responsible for this.
The students also raised questions over the Prime Minister’s “forgiveness” for those who used abusive language against him and his late mother during the demonstrations at Jantar Mantar. On July 31, Prime Minister Modi said he is ready to forgive youngsters accused of abusing him and his late mother, saying they are misguided and “it is our job to show them the right way”.
