FIR Filed Over Jantar Mantar Pellet Injuries After Rahul Gandhi Dharna

Delhi Police have registered an FIR after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi staged a five-hour dharna outside the Parliament Street police station on Friday, demanding action over pellet injuries sustained by a 19-year-old student during a protest at Jantar Mantar.

Gandhi arrived at the Parliament Street police station around 11:30 am accompanied by the injured student, Sahil Lochab, his mother, and their lawyer. The demonstration was organized to demand the registration of a criminal case concerning injuries Lochab suffered during the Jantar Mantar protest held on July 20.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other party functionaries later joined the protest at the site. During the demonstration, Gandhi met with the Deputy Commissioner of Police and other senior police officers to press for immediate legal action.

Displaying Lochab's medical records, Gandhi stated that more than 200 pellets had entered the student's body during the July protest. He noted that three pellets had struck Lochab's eye, putting his vision at risk, while others remained lodged near his heart and could not be surgically extracted by doctors. Gandhi also displayed a pellet that had been recovered from Lochab's body during his medical treatment.

Addressing the situation, Gandhi stated that brutality against a peaceful protest is a serious crime and maintained that an offence had been committed. He alleged that Delhi Police personnel initially informed them that instructions had been received from above not to register the case, an allegation that was denied by the police.

Following the five-hour sit-in, Lochab's formal complaint was accepted, and an FIR was registered against unknown persons. The case has been filed under sections 118(1) and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertain to voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means and acts endangering life or personal safety.