Rahul Gandhi writes to Amit Shah, demands accountability for 'barbaric assault'

<p>New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/rahul-gandhi">Rahul Gandhi</a> has stepped up attack on Home Minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/amit-shah">Amit Shah</a>, asking him to clarify whether he approved the use of lethal force, including pellet guns, against protesting students in Delhi last week.</p>. <p>In a letter to Shah on Saturday as students ended the protest following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the top Congress leader said he was demanding accountability for the “barbaric assault” on students who were peacefully protesting in Delhi on July 20.</p><p>The youth and students, “the future of our country”, are demanding answers and accountability and their voices will be heard, he said. The letter comes at a time when the Congress and the Opposition are looking at ways to corner the government on students’ issues inside Parliament when it reconvenes on Monday.</p>.<p>Rahul said the students were demanding a fair and accountable education system but instead of being heard, security forces assaulted them with “indiscriminate” force, including lethal weapons and tear gas. He said hundreds have suffered serious injuries while women students have been assaulted by policemen, including by deliberately targeting their private parts.</p>.Rahul Gandhi parades protestor with pellet injury, calls Pradhan 'criminal education minister'.'Completely unIndian’: PM Modi must apologise, resign along with Amit Shah, says Rahul on police 'beating up' students.<p>“Most shocking has been the use of lethal pellet guns,” he said referring to media and social media reports on injuries to people and his meeting with 19-year old student Sahil Lochab, who is now in “severe pain” and is likely to lose an eye because he was “shot with pellet guns”.</p><p>With security forces deployed in Delhi answering “ultimately” to the Home Minister, he said he was asking whether he "approved the use of lethal force, including pellet guns against students?" </p><p><br>“If not, who did? Are the people in plainclothes seen beating students with lathis police personnel or volunteers? Who authorised their deployment?” he asked.</p><p>“Peaceful protest is crucial to any democracy. It is the government's responsibility to protect protesters and resolve their grievances through dialogue. Such brutal violence destroys every norm, and has outraged the country,” he said.</p>