Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Congress on Friday (September 18, 2026) accused the Madhya Pradesh authorities of pressurising coaching centres and student hostels in Indore to prevent youth from taking part in Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s Chhatron Ki Goonj event, scheduled for Saturday (September 19, 2026).
Congress media and publicity department chairman Pawan Khera took to X on Friday evening (September 18, 2026) to allege that coaching centre operators are being “threatened and being forced to sign statements” to take responsibility for the safety of students attending Mr. Gandhi’s outreach programme.
Mr. Gandhi is slated to hold an event in Indore on Saturday (September 19, 2026) as part of his ongoing ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign.
Mr. Khera also slammed the Madhya Pradesh Police for making a reference to the Verma Commission’s report, on the assassination of former Prime Minister and Mr. Gandhi’s father Rajiv Gandhi, in its security directions. The M.P. Congress said police have stressed that crowd control is a shared responsibility of the organisers and police, while asking the party to deploy at least 1,500 volunteers, including 500 women.
“The Madhya Pradesh Police has crossed all limits of shamelessness. First, an attempt was made to intimidate Rahul Gandhi ji by referencing the tragic assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi ji, ahead of the Goonj program for students in Indore. Now, coaching centres are being threatened — they are being forced to sign statements stating that the responsibility for safety of students attending the program will be theirs,” Mr. Khera said, while sharing a purported copy of one such declaration form.
Chain of intimidation
Mr. Khera added, “This is not security; it is a complete chain of intimidation: first threaten Rahul Gandhi ji, then the organisers, and now the coaching centres and students — and call it security. Ensuring the safety of every individual at any public event is the administration’s responsibility, whether they are a special guest or an ordinary person. A government that intimidates people instead of protecting them is announcing its own failure.”
Earlier in the day, the State Congress said that the police’s security conditions document stated that the “Verma Commission report has analysed the role of event organisers and local political activists in great depth and detail…and the Commission clarified that the organisers’ irresponsible attitude was the primary reason for the security breakdown in the Sriperumbudur incident on May 21, 1991.”
M.P. unit president Jitu Patwari slammed the BJP Government over the issue and said that Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination had been mentioned in the police permission for the first time in any Congress event.
While Indore Police Commissioner Santosh Kumar Singh and Additional Commissioner (Law and Order) Mayank Awasthi did not respond to calls from The Hindu, a senior officer confirmed the issuance of such self-declaration forms.
‘Track students’ numbers’
“Such forms were also issued to educational institutes and hostels during the Gen-Z protests in the city. These are to alert coaching centres and hostel owners about students’ safety so they can monitor how many of their students are going to such events,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP – Crime) Rajesh Dandotiya said that the Verma Commission’s report had only been referenced “to highlight and specify the responsibilities of the organisers”.
“Apart from this, we have only asked about the estimated number of people attending the event to provide appropriate security cover. There is no ill-intent, but this has become a political matter,” Mr. Dandotiya said.
In the run up to Mr. Gandhi’s event, the Congress levelled various allegations at the Madhya Pradesh authorities, including the denial of a permit to use the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for the event, and an additional bill of ₹4 lakh for using government land at the alternate venue for more than the permitted days.
A hostel owner from Indore’s Bhawarkuan area, which was the hotspot of the Gen-Z protests in the city, told The Hindu that two police officers came to his hostel with the form.
“They had a single form and were taking signatures from coaching centres and hostels. I was told to ensure that students return to their hostel in time and keep a record of students going for the event,” the hostel owner said. He claimed that BJP leaders had also been visiting centres asking them to prevent students from attending the event.
Published – September 19, 2026 12:31 am IST
