Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi staged a dharna outside the Parliament Street Police Station in New Delhi, demanding a First Information Report (FIR) regarding the alleged use of pellet guns on student protesters.
Key Incident Details
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The Incident: During a July 20 student protest at Jantar Mantar linked to the NEET paper leak controversy, 19-year-old protester Sahil Lochab sustained severe injuries from metal pellets. According to medical documents cited from AIIMS Trauma Centre and Lady Hardinge Medical College, over 200 pellets remain in his body, with three lodged in his eye, putting his vision at risk.
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The Protest & Standoff: Gandhi first visited local police stations with Sahil Lochab and his family before meeting Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Sachin Sharma at the Parliament Street station. After authorities refused to lodge an FIR, Gandhi, accompanied by Sahil, his mother, and later Priyanka Gandhi, sat on a sit-in (dharna) outside the office.
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Evidence Shown: Gandhi displayed a plastic container holding extracted pellets to journalists and highlighted the victim’s visible scars, asserting that if the police claim they did not fire the pellets, a formal investigation and FIR are still legally required to find who did.
Differing Perspectives
| Stakeholder | Key Position & Statements |
| Rahul Gandhi / Congress Party | Accuses law enforcement of illegal and brutal use of force against peaceful student protesters. Demands an immediate FIR and accountability from Union Home Minister Amit Shah. |
| Delhi Police | Denies the use of pellet guns against protesters. Informed Gandhi that the Supreme Court has already constituted a High-Powered Expert Committee (HPEC) to investigate all allegations of excessive force regarding the July 20 protest. |
| BJP Response | Senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad criticized Gandhi’s protest as “politics of anarchy,” claiming an inquiry mechanism is active via the Supreme Court and alleging the sit-in was designed to deflect political attention from other ongoing legislative debates. |
