Rahul Gandhi Demands Amit Shah be Sacked Over Delhi Police Crackdown; At Least 20-30 People Killed in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir; Stringent New Bill for Registration of Births and Deaths Introduced
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Snapshot of the day
July 29, 2026
Sidharth Bhatia
The Modi government has now found a way to make even widely reported pellet wounds disappear: procedure. Its much-anticipated first parliamentary defence of the brute force unleashed on protesters during the July 20 ‘Chalo Sansad’ march has arrived, and it is denial dressed up as due process. Union minister Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that “utmost restraint” had been exercised by Delhi Police – which falls under the direct jurisdiction of Union home minister Amit Shah – that no shots were fired at student protesters and, therefore, that no order to fire could have been issued. “Jab goli chali hi nai, toh aadesh dene ka sawal paida hi nahi hota (Since no firing took place, the question of issuing an order does not arise),” he said, adding that such orders are issued by the administration, not by a minister.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s address in the Lok Sabha was repeatedly disrupted during the discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, which is “just a rubber stamp on the students” as it fails to address the real problem, adding that if the BJP was serious about reforming education, “the RSS should be removed from the education system”. As Treasury benches erupted, Opposition MPs kept chanting: “Goli kisne chalayi? Jawab do, jawab do (Who authorised the firing? Give answers)”. Shah, meanwhile, was absent from the House as Gandhi said the Modi government had “put pellets into the blood of our students”.
Later, at a press conference after heated exchanges in Parliament, Gandhi demanded Shah’s sacking and a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the July 20 violence, holding him responsible for the alleged police action against peaceful protesters. “The Delhi Police and the RAF both report to Amit Shah. There are only two possibilities – either Amit Shah ordered the violence against innocent protesters or he was so incompetent that he had no idea it was being carried out. Irrespective, he should go,” Gandhi said. He also questioned the presence of unidentified men during the clashes. “Who were these people in civil clothes attacking the protesters? Who were these goons?” and alleged that “Bajrang Dal is being used against our own students.”
The government’s denial sits uneasily beside several widely reported cases of gunshot and pellet-related injuries to protesters. Delhi Police, meanwhile, continues to insist there is no evidence of gunshot injury from the July 20 march. The official line is pretty straightforward: no firing, no order and, of course, no accountability.
Nor is the police crackdown confined to the street. Delhi Police has registered an FIR over social media posts allegedly containing “objectionable and defamatory” content targeting PM Modi during the student-led protests at Jantar Mantar. The IFSO unit of the Special Cell has invoked provisions relating to criminal intimidation, public mischief and defamation, and directed X to remove or disable access to identified posts and accounts, and sought subscriber details, activity logs and other data. The Cockroach Janta Party has, quite rightfully, asked why ordinary citizens should be prevented from questioning the prime minister, arguing that “in a functioning democracy, citizens have every right to demand answers and accountability” from an elected representative.
