Indian police used excessive force, including pellet guns and electric shock devices, against youth-led protests over the leak of a national medical entrance examination, Amnesty International said on Monday.
The rights group said its investigation was based on witness accounts and visual evidence it had verified. It alleged that police used pellet-firing shotguns, tear gas, batons, grenades and electric shock devices against protesters in Delhi and Bihar.
The protests began after allegations of irregularities surrounding the national medical entrance examination and later grew into a wider movement over unemployment and opportunities for young people.
Protesters Clashed With Police
The demonstrations in New Delhi turned violent on July 20 when thousands of protesters attempted to march towards Parliament.
Amnesty said it found evidence of some protesters throwing stones but argued that the police response went far beyond what was necessary to control the crowds.
The organisation also said it had verified two incidents in Bihar’s Siwan district in which a police officer allegedly used lethal force against a crowd. No deaths were reported in those incidents.
“The weapons were deployed in a manner that breached international law and standards and domestic policing guidelines,” Amnesty said.
The organisation described the police response as “state-sanctioned violence masked as crowd control.”
Police Dispute Amnesty’s Claims
The Delhi Police has rejected the suggestion that excessive force was used.
During a Supreme Court hearing last week, police said force was used only after protesters became violent.
According to the police, some “anti-social elements” had joined the demonstrations while presenting themselves as students and caused serious injuries to security personnel.
The competing accounts have now become part of a wider legal and political dispute over the handling of the protests.
Supreme Court Orders Inquiry
The allegations come days after the Supreme Court set up a panel to investigate violence involving both protesters and police during the demonstrations.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi also raised the issue on Friday when he staged a sit-in outside a Delhi police station alongside a 19-year-old protester who said he had been injured by pellets during the July 20 protest.
Gandhi called for an investigation into the alleged shooting. Police later registered a case based on the protester’s complaint.
Protests Grew Beyond Exam Irregularities
The demonstrations, initially focused on alleged irregularities in the medical entrance examination, later expanded into broader protests over unemployment and limited opportunities for young people.
The movement was led online by the Cockroach Janta Party and became one of the most significant challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government since it returned to power for a third consecutive term in 2024.
The Supreme Court panel’s investigation is expected to examine allegations of violence by both protesters and law enforcement agencies.
