‘Don’t Lie To The Country’s Children’: Rahul Gandhi Hits Back At Rijiju Over ‘Not A Single Person Was Harmed’ Remark

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit out at Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju over his remarks claiming that no protester suffered serious injuries during the recent Jantar Mantar protest.

In an interview with news agency ANI, Rijiju defended the Delhi Police’s handling of the demonstration, saying, “Not a single person was harmed” and that no protester suffered a broken bone or serious injury requiring hospitalisation. He said the scale of the protest was significant, with thousands participating, and argued that the police and administration deserved praise for preventing casualties.

Responding to the remarks on X, Gandhi strongly disputed Rijiju’s account and alleged that peaceful students had faced pellet guns and batons fitted with nails. He claimed that one child lost an eye and a girl suffered an injury to her ear.

“Should this brutality be praised?” Gandhi asked, adding that he had personally met some of the injured children and that videos of the alleged incidents had been widely seen.

Gandhi further accused the government of making false claims about the violence and said its “core mantra” was “lies and violence”. He also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly not apologising to the protesting students.

“Don’t lie to the country’s children,” Gandhi said, asserting that they had both “eyes and memory”.

Rijiju, meanwhile, had claimed that police used force only after protesters allegedly tried to march towards Parliament and stressed that there were no deaths during the demonstration.