'Where were shots fired?': Rijiju denies police brutality during student protest, praises Delhi Police
Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Union minister Kiren Rijiju denied allegations of police brutality during student protests against the NEET-UG paper leak in Delhi.
- Rijiju praised Delhi Police for peacefully managing the protests, stating no one was harmed despite "criminals" infiltrating the agitation.
- He contrasted the current situation with past protests during the Congress era, which he claimed resulted in fatalities.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju has strongly refuted claims of police brutality against students during recent protests in Delhi concerning the NEET-UG paper leak. He asserted that law enforcement handled the demonstrations, including a march towards Parliament, with remarkable peace.
Kahan goli chali hai? (where were shots fired?. Not one person died or broke their bone or got seriously injured.
"Where were shots fired? Not one person died or broke their bone or got seriously injured," Rijiju stated in an interview with news agency ANI. He acknowledged that individuals attempting to incite violence had joined the protests under the guise of being students, alongside political groups like the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bhim Army.
Rijiju further claimed that unlike protests during the Congress administration, which he alleged led to many deaths, the recent demonstrations saw no casualties. He specifically highlighted the July 20 Parliament march, stating that police only intervened to stop protesters from proceeding, and no excessive force was used.
So many criminals infiltrated under the guise of students. Furthermore, more than half the people, whether from the Aam Aadmi Party, the dafli-playing agitators, the Bhim Army, or the Samajwadi Party, came and incited others to violence; yet, not a single casualty occurred.
Despite Rijiju's assertions, several media reports and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, alleged the use of pellet guns and tear gas during the protests. Some individuals reported being hit by pellets, and visuals from the day appeared to show police using batons on students.
There were no deaths, right? So shouldn't we praise cops? Police is also there for our protection. They managed everything so peacefully and yet we are criticising them. This is not right.
Originally published by Hindustan Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.