India Protest Crackdown Drew Excessive Force, Amnesty International Says

The rights group says Indian police used pellet guns, electric shock devices and other weapons against youth-led protesters during demonstrations over an exam leak.

NEW DELHI: Indian police used excessive force against youth-led protesters during demonstrations over a national medical entrance exam leak, including pellet guns, electric shock devices and tear gas, Amnesty International said on Monday.

The rights group said its investigation found evidence that police used a range of weapons against protesters in New Delhi and Bihar. These included pellet-firing shotguns, tear gas launchers, grenades, batons and electric shock devices.

Amnesty said it verified witness accounts and visual material documenting the use of force during the protests. It also identified two incidents in Bihar’s Siwan district in which police officers allegedly used lethal force against crowds. No deaths were reported in those incidents.

According to the organisation, the use of weapons breached international standards and Indian policing guidelines.

The findings contradict the account given by Delhi Police, which told the Supreme Court that officers used force only after protesters became violent.

Police officials said some protesters had attacked security personnel and claimed that anti-social elements had joined the demonstrations while posing as aggrieved students.

Protests Spread Beyond Exam Leak

The demonstrations began after allegations surrounding the leak of a national medical entrance examination. Thousands of young protesters gathered in New Delhi on July 20 and attempted to march towards Parliament.

The demonstrations later expanded into a broader movement focused on unemployment, limited opportunities for young people and criticism of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Amnesty acknowledged that protesters were involved in isolated incidents of stone throwing. However, it said those incidents did not justify the scale of the police response.

The organisation described the crackdown as state-sanctioned violence presented as crowd control.

The controversy has also reached India’s Supreme Court. The court established a panel last week to investigate violence involving both police and protesters.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi separately joined a sit-in outside a Delhi police station with a 19-year-old protester who said police pellets had injured him during the July 20 demonstration.

Gandhi called for an investigation into the alleged shooting. Police later registered a case following the protester’s complaint.

The protests, led by the online Cockroach Janta Party, grew into one of the most significant youth-led challenges to the Modi government since its return to power for a third term in 2024.

The episode has intensified debate over police conduct, the treatment of young protesters and the government’s response to growing public anger over employment and education opportunities.