Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday responded sharply with the remark “Aap BJP ke ho kya” when asked about a press conference held by family members of Delhi Police personnel injured during the clashes linked to the July 20 student protests in New Delhi.
Family members of the injured officers, including an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), a Sub-Inspector, and others, addressed the media this morning. They recounted their traumatic experiences and appealed for justice.
The wife of the injured ACP described the emotional toll on her family, saying, “The moment he returned home late on the night of July 20, injured as he was, was incredibly painful and traumatic for both my two-year-old daughter and me. I am accompanied here by other family members of Delhi Police personnel, and we wish to share our ordeal with you.”
The daughter of an injured Sub-Inspector alleged that a mob attacked her father during the protest and was subsequently taken to RML Hospital for treatment.
She said her father, a former Marine Commando in the Indian Navy, was “pulled by a rowdy mob and was almost lynched near the stage at Jantar Mantar” and remained unconscious at the hospital for around four hours.
A family member of another injured official said, “This was not a student protest; rather, there were mischievous elements who tried to sabotage and discredit the students’ protest and shatter the dignity of Parliament.”
She said the miscreants should be punished while genuine students should be let off after their records are processed.
Meanwhile, the political row over the July 20 student protests has intensified, with BJP MP Anurag Singh Thakur moving a privilege notice against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha over his remarks made during the proceedings on July 29.
In response, Congress MP KC Venugopal said that the party would file a privilege motion against Union Minister Jitendra Singh, accusing him of misleading the House by claiming that no firing had taken place during the protest.
“Union Minister Jitendra Singh misled the House by saying that no firing was done on protesters. Rahul Gandhi himself has shown evidence of pellet guns and AK-47s being used… We will move a privilege motion against him,” Venugopal told reporters.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, when asked about the privilege notice against Rahul Gandhi, said, “Our MPs are capable and will face it in the Lok Sabha.”
The developments come a day after Rahul Gandhi demanded the formation of an independent, high-powered committee monitored by the Supreme Court to investigate the alleged police action against student protesters. He called for an impartial probe into the use of force during the July 20 protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
