New Delhi: The opposition on Tuesday (July 28) questioned why the Union government needed to use pellet guns, tear gas, AK-47s and lathis on protesting youth as the Lok Sabha took up the anti-paper leaks Bill for discussion. The discussion in the House came three days after nationwide youth protests forced Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.

During the discussion, the opposition targeted the government for unleashing brute force in the national capital on July 20 when protesters responded to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s ‘Sansad Chalo’ march, demanding to know who had authorised such orders.

The government on the other hand said that the new legislation shows its commitment to the youth and accused the opposition of selective outrage on competitive exam paper leaks.

“What was the need to unleash pellet guns and AK-47s on the country’s youth? Were they terrorists? Who will give answers? Who gave the order to use pellet guns? Was it the prime minister or the home minister? The whole country is asking,” said Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, was introduced by minister of state for the prime minister’s office Jitendra Singh, as both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah remained absent from the House.

During the discussion, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said that the government had made the country witness to a state of emergency in the national capital. His remark came after parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju responded to the opposition’s criticism and asked whether it is better for the government to bring a Bill after a youth agitation or impose an Emergency like in 1975.

“Which is better, a situation where the government listens to a student protest and introduces a bill in parliament, or one where the government imposes a nationwide Emergency to crush the protest?” asked Rijiju while Yadav was speaking.

“I did not witness the Emergency firsthand, but we have seen what happened then right here in the national capital Delhi. Tear gas shells and batons with........

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