New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Shri Rahul Gandhi on August 5, 2026, held a meeting with young protesters from different states, many of whom were brutally manhandled by the police forces on July 20 protest ‘Sansad Chalo’ at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

Later, at a special media briefing, the students, accompanied by Shri Rahul Gandhi, gave firsthand information of the police brutality, describing how they were thrashed, beaten up, humiliated and fired upon with pellet guns.

The Leader of Opposition said that he was proud of the students, who had displayed exemplary and extraordinary courage to defend the idea of India, protect the Constitution and save democracy. He said that students narrated in detail how violence was unleashed on them by the police on July 20. He said that the students told him that they had been peacefully protesting and had not resorted to violence, and it was the police who started beating them up.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Shri Rahul Gandhi also condemned the attempts of harassing and intimidating the students by sending goons to their homes and forcing them to tender apologies. He said that the students don’t need to apologise. “The question of students tendering an apology does not arise”, he asserted, adding he was proud of what they have done to defend the Constitution and democracy.

He noted that the students were only complaining about a broken education system, which is a useless and a flawed system. “The system needs to be changed and corrected, and that is all they wanted and they were beaten up for that”, he pointed out.

Lauding the courage of the students, he said that for them to come before the media was an act of great courage. “Despite facing harassment, violence, torture, they came here and spoke fearlessly and eloquently; and these are the type of youngsters country needs, and there are hundreds like them”, he remarked.

He said that unlike the young people facing the media, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah did not have the courage to come in front of the press. He reiterated that the person responsible for violence, firing of pellet guns and assault on young women is Amit Shah. He said that he did not have the decency or courage to come to Parliament and answer questions.

The Leader of Opposition said that Shah either did not know about the violence, which means he is incapable of holding the position, or he ordered the violence including the firing of pellet guns, which means he is culpable. “He is responsible either way”, he said, holding the Home Minister accountable for the July 20 violence.

Among those who addressed the media was Ms. Riya Ahir, who had stopped a police van in Mumbai to prevent the unlawful detention of 20 children. She alleged that she was now being harassed, but said she was happy that the young people she had stood up for were now standing with her. Other students, including Ms. Nutan Topo, Ms. Farha Naz, Shri Bharat and Ms. Muskan Sharma, also spoke on the occasion, giving firsthand details of the police brutalities unleashed on them at the Jantar Mantar on July 20, 2026.