“Narendra Modi ji, 10 days ago, your government cracked down on the youth using lathis, batons and pellet guns,” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday (July 31, 2026) accused the Narendra Modi government of targeting student protesters by filing FIRs, detaining them and getting their social media accounts blocked, days after they called off their agitation.
In separate posts on X, the Congress leaders alleged that the government had reneged on an understanding under which no action would be taken against the students after they withdrew their protest.
Mr. Gandhi, in his post, accused the government of trying to intimidate a generation of young protesters. “PM Modi and Amit Shah – you cannot threaten Gen Z into silence,” he said.
“First you broke their bones. Now you are filing FIRs and taking down their accounts. You are India’s past. Be careful about how you treat India’s future,” Mr. Gandhi added.
The Congress chief alleged that women protesters were being “doxxed”, or having their personal information exposed online.
“Ten days ago, your government suppressed the youth with batons-Pellet Guns. When the students withdrew their movement, now you’re filing FIRs against them out of a sense of revenge, forcibly detaining them,” Mr. Kharge said, directly addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He alleged that the students had withdrawn their movement on the assurance that no action would be taken against them, but “now your governments have gone back on their own word.” Mr. Kharge further claimed that the government was getting the students’ social media accounts blocked and that girls were being doxxed.
The Congress chief also renewed his attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his absence from Parliament during the confrontation over the handling of the student protests. “The arrogance is such that Home Minister Amit Shah didn’t even set foot in the Parliament House, kept fearing to give a statement on Accountability,” he said.
Mr. Kharge said attempts at “face-saving” and “image protection” would no longer work as the youth had “already” seen through the government’s actions. He ended by demanding Mr. Shah’s resignation.
The Congress leaders’ remarks came amid continuing political confrontation over the police action against students during their protest and subsequent allegations of arrests and legal action against participants.
Published – July 31, 2026 11:47 am IST
