Congress lawmakers call for parliamentary inquiry into pellet‑gun use on students

On Thursday, a delegation of Congress parliamentarians, headed by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, staged a peaceful occupation of the Makara Darwaza at the Parliament complex. Their protest centered on the police action taken against students on July 20, which reportedly involved baton strikes, tear‑gas canisters and the firing of a pellet‑gun.

The opposition demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah appear before the Lok Sabha to explain the chain of command that led to the deployment of such crowd‑control weapons on a civilian crowd. They argued that the incident violated constitutional guarantees of peaceful assembly and free speech.

Pramod Tiwari, speaking to the media, said the BJP government is attempting to sidestep the issue. He reminded the House that under Article 75, the Home Minister must provide answers to parliamentary questions. Tiwari indicated that the Congress party will table motions in both houses to ensure a thorough investigation.

In addition to the student‑related grievance, Tiwari highlighted alleged financial misconduct in the construction of the Ram Temple, accusing the central government of approving a ₹2 crore land purchase at a price of ₹17 crore and sanctioning over ₹111 crore for the inauguration ceremony. He said he has already submitted a formal notice on the matter.

Opposition members K.C. Venugopal, Ujjwal Raman Singh and Kapil Sibbal reiterated the need for transparency, questioning the level at which permission for using the pellet‑gun was granted and insisting that the Home Minister clarify the decision‑making process in the parliamentary record.