IAMC Condemns Brutal Police Crackdown on Peaceful Student Protesters in New Delhi
Washington, DC (July 210, 2026) — The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), the nation’s largest advocacy group representing Indian American Muslims, strongly condemns the violent police crackdown on tens of thousands of peaceful student protesters in New Delhi today as they marched toward Parliament under the “Chalo Sansad” (March to Parliament) banner on the opening day of the Monsoon Session.
The march was organized by a coalition of student organizations to protest the mounting frustration over repeated examination irregularities, including the NEET paper leak controversy and other recruitment and competitive exam scandals, which students say have undermined the integrity of India’s education system and jeopardized the futures of millions of young people.
Protesters demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, whom they hold responsible for the handling of the examination crises, and many also called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take responsibility for what they describe as systemic failures in governance, education, and youth employment.
Instead of holding dialogue with protestors, Delhi Police, which reports directly to the Union Home Ministry, deployed baton charge, fired tear gas shells at multiple locations across central Delhi, and used pellet guns against unarmed demonstrators. Authorities imposed a near-total internet shutdown within a five-kilometer radius of the protest site, closed five metro stations, erected multiple layers of barricades, and detained hundreds of protesters. Initial reports suggest hundreds of protesters were left injured, with widely circulated footage showing young demonstrators with head wounds and bleeding injuries.
“The use of brute force, pellet guns, and tear gas against India’s own students for exercising their constitutional right to peaceful assembly is a deeply alarming reflection of the Modi government’s authoritarian approach to dissent,” said IAMC President Mohammed Jawad.
“India’s democratic credentials cannot be taken seriously when the government answers demands for educational accountability with the tools of repression,” Jawad added. “The shutting down of internet access and closure of metro stations to prevent citizens from gathering are the hallmarks of an authoritarian state, and the international community must take note.”
IAMC calls on the Government of India to immediately release all detained protesters, drop any charges against them, cease the use of force against peaceful demonstrators, and engage meaningfully with the demands of India’s students. In light of the government’s handling of repeated examination failures and its broader crackdown on dissent, IAMC calls for accountability from the BJP leadership, including the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. IAMC further urges the U.S. State Department to address the Modi government’s systematic repression of dissent in its engagements with Indian counterparts.
IAMC stands in solidarity with the students, activists, and citizens who marched today in defense of their constitutional rights.
