New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday not to come in the way of protesting students as they are the voice of the country.
The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha made the remarks after meeting some students, including those from the Congress’ students wing, NSUI, who were injured during recent protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR process. The Congress leader met them at the 10, Janpath residence of Sonia Gandhi here.
He assured the students that action would be taken against all — from the prime minister to the police constable — who acted against students during the recent protests.
Some of the protesting students also gave an account of the “inhuman” treatment meted out to them by police personnel during their detention and how they were beaten up by the cops.
The students claimed that they received several injuries as the police personnel hit them even in their private parts and abused them often in their bid to “teach us a lesson” for participating in the protests.
A large number of protesters were picked up by police and taken to detention centres far away from the city during the recent spate of agitations by student bodies as well as opposition parties against Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.
Gandhi told the students not to worry as the Congress would stand behind them, describing them as the party’s “shers” and “shernis” (lions and lionesses).
Introducing a female student as “our sherni”, he said, “She was beaten up, but was not afraid. There was no hatred in her heart.”
The Congress leader said Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are standing before the voice of people.
“As I said at my press conference, this is India. Amit Shahji, please see carefully, they are all together. No one is a Muslim, Hindu, no caste, no gender…. They are all together. This is Hindustan,” he said, asking all the injured students to stand shoulder to shoulder.
“This is one voice, that of India, and you are standing before this protest and voice. The prime minister is standing before this voice. Amit Shah is standing before this voice. I suggest to the prime minister that he should not stand before this voice. No one can stand before them,” the leader of opposition said.
“I also want to tell the police with love that I have asked every student to make videos, keep evidence with them and send it to us. When this entire episode ends, we will get justice and punish those who have beaten up our students, from top to bottom — from Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Gyanesh Kumar to all the constables who are raising their hands on our children,” he asserted.
Later, in a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, “The day is coming when those who seek to silence the voice of our democracy will face the wrath of law. Be it Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Gyanesh Kumar or any common constable.”
“I want every student and youngsters who has endured police brutality or unlawful detention to keep a complete record of it — videos or photos — these will be essential.
“Peaceful protest is your right. We will not allow anyone to snatch it away,” the Congress leader said.
During their interaction with the leader of opposition, one of the injured students played Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite hymn, “Vaishnava Jana To”, on flute and said “nafrat ka jawab pyar se diya jaega (hatred will be answered with love)”.
One of the female students said she has sustained injuries in her ear and “lost” her hearing, while another said she was hit even in her private parts.
