New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): The Delhi Police on Friday evening registered a First Information Report under Section 118(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi staged a seven-hour sit-in at the Parliament Street police station. Gandhi had accompanied 19-year-old student Sahil Lochab and his mother, demanding police action regarding severe pellet-gun injuries Lochab allegedly suffered during a student demonstration on July 20.
The standoff began around 11:30 a.m. when initial attempts to file the complaint at Mandir Marg police station were turned down, prompting Gandhi and the victim’s family to meet senior officers at Parliament Street. Following hours of deadlock, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined the discussions with Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma. The protest ended shortly before 7:00 p.m. when authorities formally handed over a copy of the registered case, which addresses charges of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons.
Lochab, who underwent two surgeries at AIIMS after being transferred from Lady Hardinge Medical College, has over 200 pellets embedded in his body, including several near his heart and three in his eye that have severely impaired his vision. Gandhi displayed medical records and an extracted pellet, criticizing the systemic delays ordinary citizens encounter when seeking basic justice. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also condemned the central government, demanding accountability over who authorized the deployment of pellet guns against student protesters.
