As protests continue to swell across Delhi, questions are mounting over the police response to demonstrators, with several voices — including from people who are familiar with the security establishment — now openly criticising the manner in which force has been used. On Tuesday, many students were injured, with one reportedly in ICU.
Also read | What’s behind Modi govt’s politics of not letting Pradhan go
Among the most striking of these has come from a former CRPF officer, who speaking during a discussion on Capital Beatdrew a sharp comparison between the handling of protesters in Delhi and his own experience dealing with stone-pelters in Kashmir at the height of unrest.
Kashmir comparison sparks debate
“I have seen the 2016 stone-pelting at its peak. I was commanding a company there, right in front of those protesters, and I can say this with complete authenticity and honesty — the minimum force that was required was not what was used,” said Samajwadi Party spokesperson Sarvesh Tripathi, who formerly served with the CRPF.
He went further, arguing that even in the most volatile confrontations in the Kashmir Valley, the response had shown greater restraint than what was witnessed in Delhi.
“We don’t deal with even the stone-pelters in Kashmir the way this has happened. It is clear that there is no law in this country — at least not in the minds of these BJP people,” he said.
Call for collective resistance
Yuva Halla Bol researcher and YouTuber Anchal Gupta said videos of the police action against student protesters, including minors, showed clear violations of laws governing the treatment of individuals below 18 years of age. “So many different laws were broken by the very people who are supposed to uphold and enforce them,” he said.
Gupta said the parallel protest movements led by the CJP and various opposition parties, including the Congress, had grown more closely connected in recent days, particularly since environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk was taken away by the Delhi police three days earlier. He said opposition parties, student groups and civil society organisations should come together as a “cohesive whole” in response to the developments.
Congress ramps up pressure
Congress spokesperson Sujata Paul said the sit-in led by Rahul Gandhi outside the Prime Minister’s residence marked a significant moment, noting that the party’s youth outreach programmes had already drawn large crowds prior to Tuesday’s developments. “There is no way anybody can say that we were not speaking on this issue earlier,” Paul said, adding that Opposition voices were now more visible because of the role social media has come to play alongside mainstream media coverage.
Also read | A warning shot for 2029? Why Delhi protests hold key for Opposition too
Paul said the demand for accountability extended to the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the Education Minister. She referred to the visible injuries sustained by protesters and said the government “will be held accountable no matter how much they keep the system hostage.”
Comments are closed.