NEW DELHI — Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi staged a dharna outside the Parliament Street Police Station, accompanied by Sahil Lochab, a 19-year-old student who suffered severe pellet injuries during a July 20 demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
The sit-in was triggered by the Delhi Police’s decision not to register a new First Information Report (FIR). Displaying medical reports from AIIMS and Lady Hardinge Medical College, Gandhi showed reporters recovered metal pellets, emphasizing that over 200 remain inside Lochab’s body and three in his eye.
While the police cited an ongoing inquiry by a Supreme Court-appointed High-Powered Expert Committee (HPEC) into the use of force during student protests, Gandhi maintained that a formal FIR is required to establish accountability. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also joined the demonstration outside the station, while BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad hit back, characterizing the protest as “politics of anarchy.”
Incident & Protest Summary
-
Key Figures: Rahul Gandhi (LoP, Lok Sabha), Priyanka Gandhi, and protest victim Sahil Lochab
-
Venue: Parliament Street Police Station / DCP Office, New Delhi
-
Primary Demand: Immediate registration of an FIR regarding alleged pellet gun deployment on student protesters
-
Root Cause: Protests connected to the NEET paper leak controversy at Jantar Mantar (July 20, 2026)
-
Medical Status: Medical documentation confirms over 200 pellets in the victim’s body and 3 lodged in his eye
-
Official Stand: Delhi Police referenced the Supreme Court expert panel’s active probe; BJP questioned the unannounced sit-in
