New Delhi: INDIA bloc parties are set to press for an urgent discussion in Parliament on the alleged use of excessive force against students protesting over the NEET paper leak, with Rahul Gandhi writing to Home Minister Amit Shah seeking accountability and TMC's Sagarika Ghose moving a notice for the suspension of the day's business to take up the issue of "grave national importance" on Monday.
While the Centre is scheduled to introduce a bill in the Lok Sabha on Monday to strengthen the anti-paper leak law and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has called off its agitation following the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as education minister and the acceptance of other demands by the government, Congress and other opposition parties are in no mood to relent.
They are expected to demand answers from the government in both Houses over allegations of pellet gun use, the deployment of men in plain clothes during the July 20 protest and the injuries suffered by several students.
In a letter to Shah, Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, demanded accountability for what he termed the "barbaric assault" on peacefully protesting students and questioned whether the home minister had approved the use of "lethal force", including pellet guns, against the youth.
The Congress leader alleged that hundreds of students had suffered injuries during the police action and claimed women protesters were assaulted by police personnel.
Referring to 19-year-old student Sahil Lochab, whom he met on Friday, Gandhi said the student was likely to lose vision in one eye after allegedly being hit by pellets during the July 20 protest.
Gandhi also sought to know whether men in plainclothes seen beating students with lathis were police personnel or volunteers and who had authorised their deployment, saying "the country is demanding answers".
He asserted that peaceful protest was integral to democracy and that the government's responsibility was to protect protesters and address their grievances through dialogue.
Separately, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha deputy leader Ghose submitted a notice under Rule 267 seeking suspension of the day's business in the Rajya Sabha on Monday to allow an immediate discussion on what she described as the "use of excessive force on student protestors during NEET examination protests".
Calling it a matter of grave national importance, Ghose said the right to peaceful protest was a constitutional right, but student protesters had allegedly been subjected to "lethal and semi-lethal force" by security agencies.
Her notice referred to reports of pellet gun injuries, "including the possible loss of vision of one student due to use of the pellet gun by the Rapid Action Force", and sought answers on who authorised the use of such weapons and what protocols were followed.
It also referred to eyewitness accounts alleging that individuals in plain clothes used coercive and violent methods against students.
A senior opposition leader said the resignation of Pradhan did not mark the end of the issue.
"Pradhan's resignation is not the full stop; it is only a semicolon. The Prime Minister should apologise to the students, while the Home Minister must explain where the pellets came from and who authorised their use. The role of the Home Minister has to be investigated. The youth have now handed the baton to Members of Parliament," the leader said.
