New Delhi: Demanding Union Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation over the July 20 crackdown on anti-paper leak protesters in Delhi, All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora said the movement has evolved into a wider campaign seeking accountability from the Union Government over the alleged police action.
Bora, who observed a 23-day hunger strike during the agitation, told PTI that the demand for Shah's resignation and the removal of Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar would continue alongside efforts to secure the release of arrested protesters. She emphasised that accountability cannot be limited to low-ranking officials.
"The buck stops at Amit Shah. The buck stops at the commissioner of police. If somebody has to resign or has to be sacked, it is these two people. No low-ranking official's suspension is enough for us," she said.
Questioning the alleged use of pellet guns and excessive force during the July 20 march to Parliament, the chief of the left-wing students' organisation affiliated with the CPI(ML) Liberation said the government failed to explain why security personnel were equipped with pellet guns and "sticks covered with nails".
"We are still seeking answers. Why did you use pellet guns on protesters on July 20? Why were security forces given pellet guns? Why were sticks covered with nails, with which protesters were injured," she asked.
Bora argued that regardless of whether the alleged actions were ordered by a magistrate or senior authorities, political responsibility ultimately rests with the Union home minister.
"If it happened on the magistrate's order, then what kind of home minister are you?… And if it happened on your order, then what kind of a criminal state are you running where pellet guns can be fired on ordinary citizens," she asked.
Bora noted that the alleged police actions fundamentally changed the nature of the movement, transforming it from a focus on the paper leak issue into a broader political campaign against the government's handling of the protests.
"A very large section of people used to come to us every day and say that they kept voting for the BJP government, but today, because of their vote, we have to sit on a hunger strike. They would say that because of their vote, students are committing suicide, and now they are very ashamed," the AISA national president said.
"It (movement) is no more about Dharmendra Pradhan. It is about whether the government can be so barbaric with the common citizens of the country," Bora said, claiming that the sense of betrayal among students and the youth was now directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah and the Delhi Police commissioner.
She reiterated that the demand for Shah's resignation is inseparable from the push for the release of protesters detained during and after the agitation.
"The protest seeking the home minister's resignation and the release of the arrested students are not different. Both are together because both are a part of state repression," she said, alleging that arrests and criminal cases against students had continued despite assurances.
Regarding the political response to the agitation, Bora said opposition parties had a responsibility to take up people's issues and welcomed the support extended by parties including the Congress as well as student organisations such as the NSUI and Youth Congress.
"If you are a political party, it is your job to express solidarity with the people. It is their job to make people's issues their own issue, raise their voice in Parliament and speak about the suppression of those voices," she said.
Neha refused to apologise for or condemn the cuss-laden denunciations of the Centre made by many agitators, and accused critics of trying to divert attention from the alleged use of pellet guns and police force against the students.
Videos of protesters using abusive language have attracted political attention and police action against many since the protest ended.
One such protester is Ruchika Singh, a 15-year-old girl, whose expletive-heavy criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought her to the centre of the row and several FIRs against her.
Neha said legal action against the teenager is an instance of selective outrage.
"You find the profanity of words so abhorrent. Didn't you find it abhorrent when Dharmendra Pradhan called peacefully protesting students 'terrorists'? Did you file an FIR against him? When Nitin Nabin called us viruses, did anyone file FIRs against them?" the student leader said.
According to Neha, it's not the language but the injuries suffered by demonstrators that should be talked about.
"First of all, the people who tell us to condemn this profanity, I am sorry. We will not play this game of yours. You are playing this game because we are asking for accountability from Amit Shah. We are asking for accountability from the Commissioner of Police. You feel that the pellet guns being used on students are a smaller issue and the statement given by Ruchika is a bigger problem," she said.
When asked whether the agitation might influence electoral politics, Bora refrained from making predictions but expressed her belief that the public will remember both the movement and the events of July 20.
"I think people will not forget this movement. We will not forget that when we put aside divisive politics and fought together for our future, we won," she said.
Bora asserted that protests demanding accountability for the July 20 police action, Shah's resignation, the removal of the Delhi Police commissioner, and the release of arrested protesters would continue across the country.
The youth-led anti-paper leak agitation, spearheaded by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and supported by several student organisations, began as a campaign demanding accountability for alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and the resignation of then Union education minister Pradhan.
Protesters attempted to march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament on July 20, resulting in clashes between demonstrators and police.
Protesters have accused the Delhi Police of using excessive force, including pellet guns, tear gas, and lathis, during the crackdown, leaving several demonstrators injured. While the Delhi Police has denied these allegations, the central government maintains that security personnel acted in accordance with the law during the clashes.
The agitation was called off on July 25 after Pradhan resigned and the Centre agreed to the protesters' core demands, including a series of education reforms.
The government also introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill in Parliament to strengthen measures against paper leaks and examination malpractices.
The bill was passed by Parliament on Thursday, with the Rajya Sabha approving it amid a walkout by opposition parties, which have also been demanding the home minister's clarification regarding the alleged crackdown, and have also sought his resignation over the issue.