Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan turned into a scene of brutality as Delhi Police, under the BJP government, unleashed a violent lathi-charge on students protesting against irregularities in the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examinations. Shocking videos of the assault flooded social media, drawing fierce condemnation from AAP leaders. National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj, senior leader Manish Sisodia, and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Delhi Assembly Atishi denounced the crackdown as an act of dictatorship and hooliganism by the BJP government. The Aam Aadmi Party vowed to stand firmly with the agitating students and extend all possible support in their fight for justice.
AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal wrote on X: “Look at the BJP’s dictatorship and hooliganism. Students had been fighting for justice for months over irregularities in the SSC exams. Instead of hearing their voice, lathis were unleashed upon them in the darkness of night. Think about it—the same hands that should have been holding books today are covered with wounds. Even media persons were stopped from covering the incident. Open hooliganism is running in the country. Anyone who questions the BJP is silenced through lathi-charge, thrown in jail at will, laws are changed overnight, and votes of those who don’t support BJP are cut. The BJP has not only destroyed democracy but made a mockery of the entire system.”
Addressing a press conference at the AAP headquarters, Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said the SSC students’ protest that had been going on for several weeks shifted to Ramleela Maidan on Sunday. “Students and their teachers, including young girls and boys, were sitting in a peaceful demonstration. But the Delhi Police, under the control of the Central Government, carried out a shameful and undemocratic act.”
The AAP Delhi State President pointed out that first, the police cut the power supply to plunge the protest site into darkness so that children could be attacked without video evidence. Then, plainclothes policemen brutally assaulted the students. Children had to use their phone torches to record videos, which are now viral on social media.
Saurabh Bharadwaj reminded that parents invest everything for their children’s education with the hope that after 12 years of schooling, they might become doctors, engineers, chartered accountants, clerks, stenographers, or at least secure a small government job through SSC. “After passing 12th, children study 18 hours a day, take NEET exams, and then find that organized cheating is taking place. This is not petty fraud—it is systemic corruption. Incompetent people are becoming doctors while deserving ones are being pushed out.”
He added that the same rot has spread to SSC exams as well. “Children who slog for 2-4 years are ruined and left at home, while those who pay bribes become officers and clerks. Today, India’s youth are fighting for their rights on the streets, but the BJP government and Delhi Police are beating them with sticks. This is utterly shameful,” he added.
The AAP Delhi Unit Chief further said this cycle of brutality is not new. “In the last 10–11 years, no section of society has been spared from Delhi Police’s lathis. Traders protesting GST were beaten. Doctors protesting unjust laws were beaten. Students’ movements were crushed. Even army veterans demanding One Rank One Pension (OROP) at Jantar Mantar were beaten. Lawyers went on strike, they too were beaten. Dog lovers who speak English and even vote for BJP were beaten. The poor face demolition of their jhuggis, eviction of street vendors, and beatings as well,” he added.
He recalled that even doctors at Acharya Bhikshu Hospital, who thought speaking to a BJP MLA in English would protect them, were beaten and their FIR was not registered. “Journalists have also been assaulted. Whenever possible, the police thrashed them too. AAP leaders have been beaten multiple times. Even marshals were beaten. We were dragged on the streets when we were ministers,” he noted.
Sounding a warning, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Those sleeping comfortably today should understand—their turn will come. The BJP has already burdened the middle class by hiking private school fees by 30–80% from April 1, 2025. Not a single school’s audit report has been made public. Not a single fee rollback has happened. At a town hall, when parents questioned Education Minister Ashish Sood, they were threatened. Sood arrogantly said, ‘I arranged the tent and food, so I will speak, not you.’ This is dictatorship. Dictatorship is not coming—it is already here. Every voice is being suppressed. AAP stands with the SSC students and will provide them all possible support,” he asserted.
Senior leader and Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia also hit out on X, saying, “In Delhi’s Ramleela Maidan, BJP’s ‘lathi-leela’. SSC students and teachers were mercilessly beaten, dragged on the ground. The Modi government ranks last in giving jobs, but number 1 in unleashing lathis to the youth.”
Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Delhi Assembly Atishi too denounced the violence, writing on X, “At Ramleela Maidan, BJP government unleashed Delhi Police on SSC students and teachers. Instead of hearing the youth, they were beaten and dragged across the ground. This hooliganism shows that in place of democracy, BJP has established a system of repression. Voices that question are being crushed. What prevails in India today is BJP’s open dictatorship.”
