Amnesty International criticizes Indian police for excessive force in suppressing youth protests.
Following the recent leak of entrance exam questions for Indian medical colleges, thousands of young people took to the streets in protest on July 20. Amnesty International stated that Indian police used excessive force, violating both international standards and domestic policing guidelines.
While authorities claimed force was used only as a last resort, Amnesty International’s investigative report contradicts the police account.
Amnesty International stated that eyewitness testimonies and video evidence indicate police used "rubber-bullet shotguns, tear gas launchers, grenades, batons, and electric shock devices" against protesters in Delhi and in Siwan district, Bihar state.
The organization also identified two verified instances of "police using unlawful lethal force against the crowd." It noted that "the manner in which these weapons were used violated international law and standards, as well as domestic policing guidelines," although no fatalities occurred during the incidents.
Prior to the report's release, the Supreme Court of India had established a panel on the 20th to investigate violence committed by both police and demonstrators. The massive protests ultimately forced the Education Minister to resign.
Amnesty International stated that while there were "isolated instances of protesters throwing stones," the "heavy-handed response constituted state-sanctioned violence under the guise of crowd control."
At a Supreme Court hearing last week, Delhi police claimed that anti-social elements "disguised as aggrieved students" had inflicted "serious injuries" on security forces, and that police only resorted to force after protesters turned violent.
On the 21st, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi staged a sit-in outside a Delhi police station alongside a 19-year-old protester who claimed to have been injured by a rubber bullet during the July 20 demonstration.
Gandhi demanded an investigation, and the police subsequently registered a case regarding the shooting incident. The protests, led by the online group "Cockroach Janta Party," began with anger over exam fraud but have since expanded into a broader movement addressing unemployment, youth opportunities, and the increasingly authoritarian governance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the biggest challenge Modi has faced since winning a third term in 2024.