1 week ago
Rahul Gandhi Sit-In Leads to FIR Over Student Pellet Injuries
Rahul Gandhi went to a Delhi police station with a 19-year-old student named Sahil Lochab.
Sahil says pellets injured him during a student protest on July 20.
The protest was about alleged problems with examinations and the NEET-UG paper leak.
He reportedly suffered serious injuries to his eye and abdomen and needed surgery.
Congress said the police did not properly respond when Sahil submitted a complaint.
Gandhi sat outside the police office and said he would stay until an FIR was filed.
An FIR is an official police report about a possible crime.
Police later filed an FIR against people whose names were not known.
Delhi Police still says its personnel did not use pellet guns, so the main allegation remains disputed.
Rahul Gandhi staged a more-than-six-hour sit-in at Parliament Street Police Station on August 21, demanding an FIR for Sahil Lochab’s alleged pellet injuries.
Lochab, 19, said he was injured during the July 20 student march from Jantar Mantar toward Parliament over alleged examination irregularities and the NEET-UG paper leak.
Congress said Lochab submitted a written complaint on August 14 and followed up by email and phone on August 17 without receiving an acknowledgement or investigating-officer details.
Reports said Lochab suffered serious injuries to his right eye and abdomen, underwent surgery at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, and still had pellets or fragments lodged in his body.
Delhi Police later registered an FIR against unidentified persons based on Lochab’s complaint, while continuing to deny that police used pellet guns.
- Who
- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, student Sahil Lochab, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Congress leaders; Delhi Police officials were involved.
- What
- Gandhi held a sit-in demanding an FIR over Lochab’s alleged pellet injuries; police later registered an FIR against unidentified persons.
- Where
- At the DCP office inside Parliament Street Police Station in New Delhi; Gandhi had earlier visited Mandir Marg Police Station.
- When
- The sit-in occurred on August 21, 2026; the alleged injuries occurred during the July 20 protest. Lochab’s complaint was reportedly submitted on August 14 and pursued on August 17.
- Why
- Gandhi and Congress said police had not formally acted on Lochab’s complaint or provided acknowledgement and investigating-officer details.
Congress and Lochab’s allegations
Delhi Police and government position
Whether pellet guns were used
Congress and Lochab’s allegations
Rahul Gandhi, Congress and Sahil Lochab alleged that security personnel fired pellets at peaceful protesters and that Lochab suffered serious eye and abdominal injuries. Gandhi displayed pellets he said came from Lochab’s body and cited medical reports.
Delhi Police and government position
Delhi Police denied using pellet guns against protesters. Reports nevertheless cited a police diary entry recording rounds from anti-riot guns and plastic pellets used by Rapid Action Force personnel, but the articles did not provide official confirmation that pellet guns caused Lochab’s injuries.
Handling of the complaint
Congress and Lochab’s allegations
Congress said Lochab’s complaint was not acknowledged, no investigating-officer details were supplied, and officials allegedly sent the complainant between police stations or said they had received orders from above.
Delhi Police and government position
A police source said complaints connected to the protests were being examined by the Delhi Police Crime Branch and that Lochab’s complaint would be forwarded for investigation. Police also pointed to the Supreme Court-appointed committee examining force allegations.
Accountability and FIR
Congress and Lochab’s allegations
Gandhi demanded an individual FIR and said he would remain at the station until it was registered, while calling for a judicial inquiry and action against those responsible.
Delhi Police and government position
The FIR was reportedly registered against unidentified persons rather than named officials, and investigation was continuing. The police maintained that the identity of those responsible had not yet been established.
Extent of injuries
Congress and Lochab’s allegations
Congress and Gandhi said Lochab faced severe damage to his right eye, with pellets or fragments lodged in his body and some reportedly near vital organs.
Delhi Police and government position
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said no protester had suffered a serious injury or broken bone during the July 20 police action, a claim that conflicts with the injury accounts cited by Congress and the reports.
Key facts
- Student
- Sahil Lochab, 19, who alleged that he was injured during the July 20 march.
- Reported injuries
- Injuries to Lochab’s right eye and abdomen; reports said more than 200 pellets or fragments remained in his body, including three in his eye.
- Medical treatment
- Lochab was treated at Lady Hardinge Hospital and later underwent surgery at the AIIMS Trauma Centre.
- Complaint timeline
- Congress said Lochab submitted a written complaint on August 14 and pursued it by email and telephone on August 17.
- FIR development
- Delhi Police reportedly registered an FIR based on Lochab’s complaint against unidentified persons; no individual accused was named.
- Reported legal provisions
- One report said the FIR invoked provisions concerning voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons and rash or negligent acts endangering human life.
- Police position
- Delhi Police denied firing pellet guns at student protesters.
- Inquiry
- The Supreme Court constituted a five-member committee headed by former judge Justice R. Subhash Reddy to examine allegations of excessive force.
Quotes
Indian National Congress
Political party that reported Rahul Gandhi’s protest and allegations on X
“The (protesting students) were shot with pellet guns. One boy who was shot with a pellet gun is most likely to lose his eye and may not be able to see. I have seen the AIIMS medical certificate, which shows that he was shot with pellet guns. Shock batons were used, not just normal lathis, lathis with nails. Where did the police get this idea from?”
livemint.com
thestatesman.com
“My issue is that where our students, people who are open-minded, ask questions, were brutalised on the streets of Delhi. They were shot with pellet guns... I have seen the medical certificate, AIIMS medical certificate... You can see a police officer slapping a minor... The brutalisation of our students is a fundamental issue.”
livemint.com
thestatesman.com
Sahil Lochab’s lawyer
Lawyer representing the injured student
“The New Delhi DCP is in touch with Gandhi. As the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police is probing all the complaints, the complaint of Lochab will also be forwarded to the Crime Branch for further investigation.”
theprint.in
“The SHO spoke to me personally on the phone and told me that they would not take up the case and that they had received orders from above”
NDTV
Sources
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