New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh firmly dismissed allegations in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday regarding police firing on students demonstrating against examination irregularities, refuting assertions made by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Speaking during the debate on the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, the Minister of State for the Prime Minister’s Office clarified that security forces deployed tear gas for crowd control and that no live ammunition was used during the demonstrations in New Delhi.
Addressing the Upper House during his reply, Singh emphasized that the legal authority to issue firing orders rests exclusively with local administrative magistrates rather than cabinet ministers, making allegations of executive directives factually incorrect. He noted that since no bullets were fired during the protest management, claims regarding ministerial orders were entirely unfounded. The minister further pointed out inaccuracies in opposition statements regarding official security convoys and ministerial travel, criticizing the practice of levelling unverified assertions on the floor of the House before departing from parliamentary proceedings.
The exchange follows heated debate surrounding police action during the July 20 march to Parliament organized over the NEET paper leak issue. Gandhi had alleged that executive authorities authorized excessive force against student demonstrators, drawing immediate objections from treasury benches and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who demanded authentication and an apology for the claims. Speaker Om Birla intervened during the session to redirect the House back to the specific legislative provisions of the anti-paper leak bill under discussion.
