Students aren't criminals: Rahul slams police crackdown on CJP protest, backs NEET demonstrators

The remarks came after the Delhi Police fired tear gas shells and baton-charged protesters attempting to march towards Parliament, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged question paper leaks and technical glitches in examinations, including NEET-UG.

'Students are demanding their rights'

In a video message shared late on Monday, Rahul Gandhi accused the government of suppressing peaceful protests and described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "the most anti-youth prime minister".

"There's absolutely nothing wrong in what they (youth) are doing and it is disgusting what the government is doing, what the police are doing. This is absolutely no way to behave. Tear-gassing students, lathicharging students is not democratic, is not India's way and it's not the way it should be done," Gandhi said.

Accompanying the message was a video showing visuals of the protest and the alleged police action.

Emphasising that the protesters were seeking a fair education system, Gandhi said, "Boys and girls who are walking the streets of Delhi are not criminals, they are demanding their rights. Their rights are to have an education system that respects them, to have an education system that's fair, to have an education system that's working."

He added that India, with its large youth population, must respond to such concerns rather than suppress them.

Calls for education reforms

The Congress leader said the protesters' demands were legitimate and urged the Prime Minister to address them.

"They have legitimate demands, the PM should accept these demands and do something about it. Everybody is sick and tired of the way our education system is running, everybody is sick and tired of how the RSS has captured our education system and how all our institutions are being run by one organisation. This is a natural response that young people are raising and it should be respected," Gandhi said.

Protest follows Sonam Wangchuk's hospitalisation

The protest comes two days after activist Sonam Wangchuk was taken to hospital, ending his 21-day hunger strike in support of students and the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement.

The CJP, which has gained millions of followers on social media since its launch in May, has been spearheading protests over alleged failures in the education system and rising unemployment.

Reacting to Monday's police action, the group questioned the use of force.

"Is this a war zone? Why is the police resorting to tear gas assault on peaceful protesters?" the CJP posted on X.

Authorities also suspended internet services in parts of central Delhi, with police stating that permission had not been granted for the march towards Parliament.

Government holds talks with protesters

Even as protests continued, Union Minister JP Nadda met two CJP representatives after the government reached out for discussions earlier in the day.

According to the CJP, its delegation submitted a memorandum outlining its demands during the meeting.

Confirming the talks, Nadda said the meeting was held in a "cordial atmosphere" and noted that the proposal for dialogue had come from the protesters.

"This morning, for the first time, a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government, and our discussions have been ongoing since 11:50 am. The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere. An initial verbal discussion was held in detail with their delegation, and they submitted a written petition to me around 4 PM. I have requested all the protesters to end their sit-in and assist the administration in restoring normalcy," he posted on X