Congress Alleges Pressure on Indore Coaching Centres Ahead of Rahul Gandhi Event

The Congress on Friday accused the Madhya Pradesh administration of leaning on coaching centres and student hostels in Indore to keep young people away from Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme, scheduled in the city for Saturday.

Pawan Khera, who heads the party's media and publicity department, said on X that coaching centre operators were being threatened and made to sign declarations accepting responsibility for the safety of students who attend the event. He shared what he said was a copy of one such form.

Khera described the sequence as a "complete chain of intimidation" — first targeting the Leader of Opposition, then the organisers, and now coaching centres and students — and argued that ensuring safety at public events is the administration's duty, whether the attendee is a special guest or an ordinary citizen.

The party also objected to the state police citing the Verma Commission report, which examined the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in its security directions. The Madhya Pradesh Congress said the document noted that the Commission had analysed the role of organisers and local political activists, and had held that an irresponsible attitude on the part of organisers was the primary reason for the security failure at Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991.

State unit president Jitu Patwari said the reference to Rajiv Gandhi's assassination had appeared in police permission for a Congress event for the first time.

Police have asked the party to deploy at least 1,500 volunteers, including 500 women, and stressed that crowd control is a shared responsibility of organisers and the force.

A senior officer confirmed that self-declaration forms had been issued, saying similar forms were given to educational institutes and hostels during the Gen-Z protests in the city. The purpose, the officer said, was to alert coaching centres and hostel owners about student safety and to let them track how many students were attending such events.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rajesh Dandotiya said the Verma Commission report was cited only to spell out the responsibilities of organisers, and that the police had otherwise sought only an estimate of attendance to arrange adequate security cover. There was no ill-intent, he said, but the matter had become political.

A hostel owner in Indore's Bhawarkuan area, a flashpoint during the Gen-Z protests, said two police officers visited with the form and asked him to ensure students returned on time and to maintain a record of those going to the event. He also claimed that BJP leaders had been visiting centres to discourage students from attending.

In the run-up to the programme, the Congress has raised a series of complaints against the state authorities, including the denial of permission to use the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and an additional bill of ₹4 lakh for occupying government land at the alternative venue beyond the permitted days.