Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and several other leaders were arrested by police during a peaceful sit-in to protest police use of force against students in front of the Prime Minister’s residence in New Delhi on July 20. The Assam Citizens Federation (ACF) issued a press statement from Guwahati demanding an independent inquiry into the role of the police.
A statement issued by the Assam Citizens Federation (ACF) alleged that the police misbehaved with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. State-level Union Minister Jitendra Singh met Rahul Gandhi as a government representative at the protest site and requested him to call off the protest. However, after mediation failed, the Delhi Police forcibly transferred the opposition leader along with other protesters, the organization claimed.
The statement said that the police used brutal force against various student organizations and youth on July 20 to protest against the leak of NEET examination papers. The opposition tried to raise the issue in Parliament but the government allegedly blocked it. The opposition was forced to stage a sit-in in front of the Prime Minister’s residence.
A statement issued by Ajit Kumar Bhuiyan, Paresh Malakar, Shantanu Barthakur and Abdul Mannan on behalf of the Assam Citizens Federation leveled several other serious allegations against the police. The union has demanded the formation of a ‘People’s Inquiry Commission’ headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, accusing the police of hiring foreigners to attack protesters and engaging in immoral activities to discredit the movement. They say the situation has become more complicated as the government has adopted repressive policies instead of dialogue.
The matter is not only limited to question paper leak, but the credibility of the government has also been questioned. There was no official response from the government or the Delhi Police on the arrest of the opposition leaders.