NEW DELHI: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi government, accusing it of responding to students’ demands for accountability and education reforms with “cowardice and wanton cruelty” instead of meaningful action.She described July 20, 2026, as “a day of infamy”, alleging that the Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) used lathis and tear gas to disperse peaceful demonstrators. She also claimed that many protesters were injured and that even students returning home were allegedly beaten.Sonia Gandhi alleged that numerous peaceful protesters were injured, and even students heading home were not spared, as police used batons indiscriminately.“The nation has seen some of the most depressing visuals of youth whose bodies have been scarred by pellets, the use of which would undoubtedly have been approved by Union home minister Amit Shah himself,” the ex-Congress chief wrote in an article titled ‘An education system’s collapse, young India’s trauma’, published in The Hindu.Gandhi said the government’s handling of the ongoing student protests reflected its unwillingness to engage with the concerns of young people.“The videos from that day are seared into our memories and have stirred our collective conscience. Only the government and its captive media are spinning stories around this spontaneous rising tide of protest. It is time to say loud and clear: Stop, these are our sons and daughters, our young men and women,” Gandhi said.She said students across the country had been demanding accountability over examination paper leaks and broader reforms in the education system, but alleged that the Centre had chosen repression over dialogue.“The student protests are a natural consequence of these interrelated forces: today’s bleak education landscape, which evokes only hopelessness, and the Modi government’s trademark arrogance and unwillingness to be accountable or constructive,” Gandhi wrote.
Sonia alleges ‘utter impunity’
She further alleged that the government had weakened India’s education system while acting with “utter impunity, supreme self-delusion, and abject insensitivity”.According to Gandhi, it was the moral, political and constitutional responsibility of every public representative to stand with students and protect their future.Referring to the police action against protesters, she claimed the use of force was consistent with the government’s previous response to public demonstrations.“We all remember vividly how armed policemen and paramilitary forces ravaged university campuses during the Citizenship (Amendment) Act-National Register of Citizens protests in 2020. The unacceptable excesses against India’s women wrestlers can never be erased from our memories,” she said.Gandhi also criticised the police action during the recent protests over the alleged NEET paper leak and the state of the education system.“Their demands have been straightforward and to the point: accountability from the Government of India and education reform. The Narendra Modi government has responded to their courage with cowardice and wanton cruelty, treating them not as inheritors of the future but as enemies of the nation,” she said.
PM Modi vows stricter law
Sonia’s remarks came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Union Cabinet would discuss a Bill to strengthen the existing anti-cheating law with stricter penalties for those involved in examination paper leaks.In a recorded message released late on Thursday night, the Prime Minister said the proposed legislation would include provisions for fast-track courts and tougher punishment for offenders. He said the Bill would be finalised after Cabinet approval and introduced in Parliament when the second week of the Monsoon Session begins.Modi said the government had been working for the past two and a half months to address concerns arising from the alleged NEET paper leak. He added that the Centre had ensured that nearly 22 lakh students did not lose an academic year by conducting the re-examination and declaring the results.The Prime Minister’s announcement came shortly after the government replaced the Education Secretary amid the continuing protests over the alleged paper leak.Amid ongoing protests, the government named animal husbandry secretary Naresh Pal Gangwar the new secretary for higher education, while TK Anil Kumar the new school education secretary. Incumbent Vineet Joshi, who had charge of both, moved to low-profile panchayati raj department.Officials said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had remained in close touch with the education ministry over issues related to the NEET re-test and the implementation of recommendations made by the K Radhakrishnan Committee on reforms to the National Testing Agency (NTA).
