‘Either Shah Ordered It Or He Is Incompetent’: Rahul Gandhi Renews Attack Over NEET Protest Crackdown

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday renewed his attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the police action against students protesting the NEET paper leak in Delhi, alleging that Shah was either directly responsible for authorising the use of force or was unaware of what was happening under his watch.

Speaking after the Lok Sabha passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, Gandhi said he had witnessed developments inside Parliament that, according to him, showed the Home Minister was closely monitoring the situation outside.

"When we were at Parliament House, I saw with my own eyes, Amit Shah calling the police officers. I saw Minister Jitendra Singh getting multiple calls from the Home Minister. He was aware of everything happening on the streets. There are 2 possibilities - one is that he gave the orders to shoot people with pellet guns, beat them with lathis with nails or he did not know what was happening. If he did not know, he is incompetent; and if he ordered it and he has got to go in either case," Gandhi said.

Rahul Calls Anti-Paper Leak Bill A ‘Band-Aid’

Gandhi also criticised the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, describing it as a "band-aid when you need surgery".

He argued that stringent punishment alone would not address the deeper causes behind examination irregularities and said the legislation was "not worth discussing" if the existing law had failed to secure convictions.

The Lok Sabha passed the bill amid a heated debate over paper leaks and the recent student protests in Delhi.

‘I Will Never Apologise To BJP Or RSS’

Gandhi alleged that he was repeatedly prevented from speaking during the Lok Sabha proceedings while ministers from the Treasury benches were allowed to intervene.

"As you saw today, the LoP was not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha. Others from the government were allowed to speak, but I was not allowed to speak," he said.

According to Gandhi, he was told that he could continue speaking if he apologised for his remarks about Shah.

"I was also given an assurance that if I apologise, I would be allowed to continue speaking. The first thing is that I will never, ever apologise to the BJP, the RSS, or anyone associated with them. The second thing is that it is my right as the LoP to raise issues that are important to our country," he said.

Gandhi Raises Allegations Over Treatment Of Students

The Congress leader said the alleged treatment of protesting students remained the central issue for him.

"To me, the most important issue today is that our students were brutalised on the streets of Delhi," Gandhi said.

He alleged that protesters "were shot with pellet guns" and that police used "shock batons" and "lathis with nails" during the crackdown.

Gandhi also claimed that facial recognition technology was being used against protesters and alleged that the Bajrang Dal was being mobilised to intimidate students and discourage them from joining future demonstrations.

‘Amit Shah Is Scared’, Says Gandhi

Gandhi also linked Shah's absence from the Lok Sabha to the controversy.

"Amit Shah is not coming to the Lok Sabha. He is scared. That's why he isn't coming. He is guilty," he alleged.

The Congress leader further raised concerns over FIRs registered in connection with the protests and said attention should be paid to cases being pursued against demonstrators.

BJP leaders had rejected Gandhi's allegations against Shah in the parliament and demanded that he either produce evidence to support his claims or withdraw them and apologise.