Indian police used excessive and unlawful force against youth-led protests in New Delhi and Bihar over irregularities surrounding a national medical entrance examination, Amnesty International said Monday.
The protests, which began over allegations of exam irregularities and later expanded into broader concerns over unemployment and opportunities for young people, turned violent on July 20 when thousands of demonstrators attempted to march towards Parliament in New Delhi.
According to Euro News, Amnesty said it had verified witness accounts and visual evidence showing the use of pellet-firing shotguns, tear gas launchers, grenades, batons and electric shock devices against protesters.
The rights group also documented two incidents in Bihar's Siwan district in which police officers allegedly used lethal force against crowds. No deaths were reported in those incidents.
Amnesty said the weapons were deployed in ways that violated international law, human rights standards and India's domestic policing guidelines. It acknowledged isolated cases of protesters throwing stones but described the broader police response as excessive.
The findings contradict the police account presented before India's Supreme Court, where Delhi Police said officers used force only after protesters became violent. Police also claimed that "anti-social elements" posing as students caused serious injuries to security personnel.
The Supreme Court has since established a panel to investigate violence involving both police and protesters, adding to growing scrutiny of the authorities' handling of the demonstrations.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday joined 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 protests. Gandhi called for an investigation, after which police registered a case over the complaint.
The demonstrations have grown beyond anger over the medical entrance examination to encompass wider grievances over unemployment, limited opportunities for young people and concerns over what critics describe as increasing authoritarianism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The protests represent one of the most significant challenges to Modi since he secured a third term in office in 2024.
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