New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra strongly condemned the central government on Monday following a severe police crackdown on demonstrators in the national capital. Speaking to reporters within the Parliament House complex, she slammed the administration’s refusal to engage in meaningful dialogue regarding systemic flaws in the national education policy, accusing authorities of deploying violence against the country’s youth instead of addressing their grievances. The volatile clashes broke out on the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, as thousands of students and activists attempted to march toward Sansad Bhawan following a mass mobilization call by the Cockroach Janta Party.
The demonstration, which initially began over national examination paper leaks and intensified following climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s high-profile hunger strike, turned central Delhi into a virtual fortress. Undeterred by multi-layered security cordons, massive groups of protesters—some still dressed in school uniforms—navigated inner lanes and breached barricades at several key intersections. Law enforcement personnel retaliated with extensive lathi-charges and tear gas shells to disperse the restive crowds near the Constitution Club, Patel Chowk, Shastri Bhawan, the RBI Building, and Parliament Street. The escalating chaos resulted in multiple injuries among both police personnel and demonstrators, prompting authorities to enforce temporary internet shutdowns across large swathes of the area to prevent further mobilization.
Expressing deep outrage over the images of students being pushed back by force, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra labeled the police action as ridiculous and uncalled for, stating that Parliament belongs to the public rather than serving as anyone’s personal fiefdom. She reiterated that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had been persistently raising these structural academic concerns, noting that the government’s aggressive suppression of peaceful student protests highlights a refusal to accept accountability. The massive street agitation triggered a parallel storm inside Parliament, where both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha faced multiple, rapid adjournments as opposition MPs created a severe uproar demanding immediate discussions on the ongoing crisis.
