Rush Hour: Rahul Gandhi says pellet guns fired at students, HC refuses NIA probe into protest & more

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the Union government of misleading the country by denying that security personnel had fired pellet guns at protesters during their march to Parliament on Monday. The Congress leader made the statement while speaking to reporters alongside a 19-year-old protester who lost vision in one eye after being hit by what doctors are reported to have said were pellets.

Meanwhile, Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met with representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party at Delhi’s Constitution Club of India. After the meeting concluded, Saurav Das, a spokesperson of the political campaign, said that the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan remained a non-negotiable demand. Ashutosh Ranka, another spokesperson, said that the Centre had sought time until tomorrow.

This followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement in a video late on Thursday night that a bill providing for fast-track courts and stricter penalties for exam paper leaks will be discussed in a Cabinet meeting on Friday. Follow updates about the youth protests here.

Also read Ayush Tiwari’s report about pellet wounds on a journalist covering students’ protests

After Modi’s announcement, the Delhi and Bombay High Courts designated special fast-track courts to hear cases related to question paper leaks and other malpractices in public examinations. The...

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