NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday stepped up his attack on the Narendra Modi-led Centre, accusing it of taking "cruel steps" against students protesting over the NEET paper leak issue at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.Referring to the restrictions imposed in the national capital, including the closure of metro stations, roads, internet services and food supplies, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government was trying to suppress the student movement.

In a post on X, he wrote: "Shut down the metro. Shut down the roads. Shut down the shops. Shut down the Internet. Shut down the food."

"The government has taken these cruel steps against students who are demanding their rights.

But there's just one thing they couldn't shut down, Mr. Modi—paper leaks," Rae Bareli MP added.The Congress leader's remarks come a day after he accused the Centre and the Delhi Police of "barbarity" during the July 20 "Sansad Chalo" march led by the Cockroach Janta Party over alleged paper leaks.Sharing a video of a student who was allegedly injured after being hit by pellets during the protest, Rahul claimed the government had surpassed even the British era in its treatment of students.

"Sahil was standing with the Tricolour in his hand, merely asking for a clean, fair exam and the fruit of his hard work--the police raised a gun and badly injured him by firing pellets. This is not British tyranny; it is the barbarity of the Modi government in independent India--where innocent students demanding their rights receive pellets instead of justice," he wrote on X.

The July 20 march to Parliament turned violent, leaving more than 118 police personnel injured, including senior officers such as the Special Commissioner, Joint Commissioner, Additional Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Additional Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner of Police. Several women police personnel were also injured. Around 60 protesters were also reported injured during the clashes.