1 week ago
Delhi Police Register FIR After Rahul Gandhi’s Pellet-Injury Sit-In
Sahil Lochab is a 19-year-old student who says pellets injured him during a protest in Delhi on July 20.
He says one eye was badly hurt and that many pellets remain in his body.
He and his family said the police had not registered his complaint for several weeks.
Rahul Gandhi went with Lochab to police stations and then sat outside one for more than six hours.
Delhi Police registered an FIR after the sit-in ended.
The FIR names unknown people, so it does not yet say who caused the injuries.
Police have said their personnel did not use pellet guns, while Congress leaders have called for an investigation.
A Supreme Court committee is separately examining claims about both police actions and violence by protesters.
Delhi Police registered an FIR on August 21 over 19-year-old Sahil Lochab’s alleged pellet injuries during a July 20 student protest in Delhi.
Lochab said metallic pellets struck his eye, chest, arm, face and other areas, leaving him with severely impaired vision in one eye.
Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders staged a more-than-six-hour sit-in at Parliament Street police station after earlier efforts to file the complaint failed.
The FIR names unknown persons; reports variously cite Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 118 and 25 or Sections 118 and 125.
The Supreme Court has appointed a five-member committee to examine alleged police excesses, protester violence, complaints involving women protesters and possible compensation.
- Who
- Sahil Lochab, Delhi Police, Rahul Gandhi, Congress leaders and unidentified persons named in the FIR are central to the case.
- What
- Delhi Police registered an FIR concerning Lochab’s alleged pellet injuries during a July 20 student protest.
- Where
- The incident was reported in and around Jantar Mantar, Connaught Place and nearby Delhi areas; Gandhi’s sit-in took place at Parliament Street police station.
- When
- The injuries allegedly occurred on July 20, and the FIR was registered on August 21 after Gandhi’s more-than-six-hour sit-in; Lochab said he submitted a written complaint on August 14.
- Why
- Lochab and Congress leaders sought an investigation into the alleged pellet firing and the earlier failure to register his complaint.
Congress and Lochab’s Account
Delhi Police and BJP Response
Alleged pellet firing
Congress and Lochab’s Account
Lochab said a person in a blue uniform fired metallic pellets at him during a police lathi-charge and that medical records showed pellets embedded in his body. Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders said the injuries required a criminal investigation.
Delhi Police and BJP Response
Delhi Police personnel have reportedly denied using pellet guns. The FIR names unknown persons, so responsibility for the injuries has not been established.
Delay in registering the complaint
Congress and Lochab’s Account
Lochab and Congress leaders said his written complaint was not registered despite earlier approaches to police. Gandhi alleged that officers were under pressure from senior authorities and said the delay demonstrated barriers to justice.
Delhi Police and BJP Response
Police sources said the complaint was being assessed and that the FIR was registered after the matter was considered in light of Supreme Court directions. Gandhi’s claims about orders from senior Home Ministry officials remain allegations.
Rahul Gandhi’s sit-in
Congress and Lochab’s Account
Congress described the sit-in as a constitutional demand for an FIR and justice for Lochab and his family.
Delhi Police and BJP Response
BJP leader J. P. Nadda called the protest a camera-focused political performance and said the Supreme Court had already created a committee to investigate the July 20 incident.
Scope of the broader inquiry
Congress and Lochab’s Account
Congress focused on alleged police use of pellet guns against a student protester and requested preservation of CCTV, drone footage, medical records and recovered pellets.
Delhi Police and BJP Response
The Supreme Court committee’s mandate covers alleged police excesses, violence by protesters, complaints involving women protesters and possible interim compensation for injured demonstrators and police personnel.
Key facts
- Injured person
- Sahil Lochab, 19
- Protest date
- July 20
- FIR date
- August 21
- FIR status
- Registered against unknown or unidentified persons; no individual has been named as an accused
- Reported injuries
- Lochab said pellets affected his eye, chest, arm, face and other body areas; reports citing his complaint said more than 200 pellets were embedded in his body
- Reported medical impact
- Lochab reportedly lost vision in his right eye and underwent surgery at AIIMS
- FIR provisions
- Reports differ on the second provision: some cite Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 118 and 25, while others cite Sections 118 and 125
- Supreme Court committee
- A five-member High-Powered Expert Committee headed by retired Justice R. Subhash Reddy is examining allegations connected to the demonstrations
Quotes
Delhi Police official source
An unnamed Delhi Police source who confirmed the FIR decision
“Pellet gun was used at Connaught Place on 20th July. AIIMS report clearly says that there are more than 200 shells inside his body and 3 in his eye. He has lost vision in that eye. There are shells near his heart that cannot be touched. Delhi Police say they did not fire pellet guns. So, there is just one question: someone must have done it...A crime has indeed happened”
livemint.com
“As my face was turned the other way, I felt something burst near the right side of my body, chest (near heart), arm, and eye. Looking back, I saw a person in a blue uniform carrying a large gun who fired multiple metallic pellets (4 to 5 times) at me.”
theprint.in
Jagat Prakash Nadda
Union Minister and BJP leader
“The entire nation is once again witnessing the kind of cheap, attention-seeking politics that Rahul Gandhi displayed today outside the Sansad Marg police station. Rahul Gandhi's sit-in protest today is neither for the students nor for the sake of justice; it is a symbol of the Congress party's political desperation and Rahul Gandhi's hunger for media attention.”
livemint.com
Sources
Cops file FIR on pellet gun victim’s complaint after Rahul’s dharna
Delhi Police to register FIR over pellet injuries to youth during July 20 protest
'It Took 8 Hours': Rahul Gandhi Hits Out At Centre After FIR Filed Over Student's Pellet Injuries
After Rahul dharna, Delhi Police take pellet gun victim’s complaint, lodge FIR against ‘unknown persons’
July 20 protest: After Rahul Gandhi’s dharna, Delhi Police register FIR over pellet injuries to youth
Rahul ends over-6-hour dharna after FIR registered on pellet victim’s complaint
Delhi Police register FIR over alleged pellet gun use during CJP protest after Rahul Gandhi’s sit-in
Delhi Police Registers FIR Over Pellet Injuries After Rahul Gandhi's Police Station Protest
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