Rahul Gandhi stages dharna over pellet gun assault, demands FIR

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday walked into the Parliament Street police station with 19-year-old pellet gun victim Sahil Lochab, demanding that an FIR be registered over the alleged firing on students during protests in Delhi.

When the police did not register the case, Gandhi, along with Lochab and his mother, sat on a dharna outside the office. He has been seeking answers on who ordered the use of pellet guns against students and has refused to leave until an FIR is filed.

The Delhi Police told the Congress leader that the Supreme Court has already constituted a High-Powered Expert Committee (HPEC) to look into allegations of excessive and disproportionate use of force by police and paramilitary personnel during the student protests.

Gandhi, however, continued with the protest outside the police office.

“We stand for students. We stand for justice. We will not be silent. Dharna at DCP office till FIR is filed,” the Congress said in a post on X, sharing visuals of Gandhi sitting alongside Lochab and his mother.

Gandhi had earlier raised the issue with Amit Shah

The latest protest comes after Gandhi wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking accountability over what he described as a “barbaric assault” on peacefully protesting students. He also questioned whether the Home Minister had approved the use of “lethal force”, including pellet guns, against the protesters.

In July, Gandhi had brought Lochab before the media to highlight his alleged injuries. Lochab, then 19, said he was hit by a pellet gun during the march towards Parliament on July 20, the opening day of the Monsoon Session.

Gandhi told reporters that Lochab had been peacefully protesting with the national flag when he was struck. During the interaction, Gandhi lifted Lochab’s T-shirt to show the pellet injuries to the media.

The Congress leader has since continued to demand accountability over the alleged use of pellet guns during the student protests.