Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
A student allegedly injured during the police action at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Tuesday accused the Centre of suppressing democratic voices, while the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident.
Addressing a press conference at the state Congress headquarters in Ranchi, Nutan Kumari, who claimed to have been injured during the police action, described the incident as a “blot on democracy.” She alleged that students staging a peaceful protest over education-related issues were subjected to a brutal lathi charge.
According to Kumari, the government responded to students’ demands with force instead of dialogue. She said several students, including herself, sustained injuries, but no representative of the government reached out to them. “This shows that the government is afraid of the voice of the youth,” she alleged.
Speaking at the same press conference, Kumar Raja, convener of the Chhatron Ki Goonj campaign and Ranchi Metropolitan Congress president, questioned the Centre over the alleged use of pellet guns against students during the protest.
He demanded that the Union Home Minister clarify who authorized the alleged use of pellet guns against protesters. Raja alleged that the incident represented not only police excesses but also an assault on democratic rights.
“The government should have engaged with students demanding employment, quality education and a transparent examination system. Instead, they were treated like criminals,” he said.
Raja further alleged that if no action is taken against the officials responsible for the use of force, it would indicate that the operation was carried out with the government’s approval.
The Congress demanded a high-level and impartial inquiry into the incident, action against officials allegedly responsible for the use of force, adequate medical treatment and compensation for injured students, and safeguards to ensure that students’ constitutional right to peaceful protest is protected.
The party maintained that students’ voices cannot be silenced through force and reiterated its support for movements seeking reforms in education and employment.
