Rahul Gandhi stages dharna at Delhi police station over pellet gun FIR

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi walked into a police station at Parliament Street on Friday, Aug 21 with pellet gun victim Sahil Lochab and refused to leave until an FIR was registered in the case.

When police declined to file the FIR, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha sat on a dharna outside the police station, along with Lochab and his mother.

Delhi Police told the protesting Congress leader that the Supreme Court had constituted a High-Powered Expert Committee (HPEC) to examine allegations of excessive and disproportionate use of force by police and paramilitary forces during the student protests. Gandhi refused to budge until an FIR was registered.

"We stand for students. We stand for justice. We will not be silent. Dharna at DCP office till FIR is filed," the Congress posted on X.

While sitting on the dharna, Gandhi posted on X that police had attacked Lochab with a pellet gun on July 20 while he was peacefully protesting at Jantar Mantar, adding that Lochab's vision in one eye was now at risk.

Gandhi had earlier written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding accountability for the "barbaric assault" on peacefully protesting students and asking whether Shah had approved the use of "lethal force," including pellet guns, against the youth.

In July, Gandhi had presented Lochab, 19, to the media, alleging he was shot with a pellet gun by security personnel during the July 20 march on Parliament, the first day of the Monsoon Session. "You are saying that protesters have been hit by pellet guns. I want to explain when pellet guns were fired. My brother was struck by a pellet gun when he was peacefully protesting with a tricolour in hand," Gandhi told reporters at the time, lifting the youth's T-shirt to show his injuries.