Rijiju defends Delhi Police, says no protester died in NEET march

Union minister Kiren Rijiju has defended the Delhi Police's handling of student protests against the NEET-UG paper leak, saying not a single protester died or suffered a serious injury. Speaking to ANI, Rijiju claimed that while many “criminals” infiltrated the agitation under the guise of students, the police used minimal force and should be praised. He contrasted the response with protests under previous Congress-led governments, which he said resulted in “thousands of deaths.”

The Delhi Police, in an affidavit before the Supreme Court, has denied using excessive force. It said over 30,000 protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar on July 20 and an attempt to march towards Parliament was illegal, forcing a graded response. The police added that more than 240 personnel and around 200 protesters were injured. The affidavit also stated that lathis are permissible crowd-control gear and a solitary incident of a lathi with nails was in a protester's hands, not the police.

Opposition leaders, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, have alleged the use of pellet guns and lathi-charge during the protest. The government has denied pellet-gun use, though Hindustan Times reported that Rapid Action Force personnel were issued pellet guns on July 20 but they were later withdrawn. The issue has led to repeated disruptions in Parliament, with the Opposition demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah.