New Delhi: The Delhi Police registered a First Information Report on Friday evening regarding severe pellet gun injuries sustained by a 19-year-old student, Sahil Lochab, following an extensive sit-in protest led by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi at the Parliament Street police station. The case was registered under Section 118(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which addresses voluntarily causing grievous hurt using dangerous weapons or means, alongside provisions concerning acts endangering life or personal safety. The demonstration concluded shortly before evening when Lochab and his family received a formal copy of the document from the Deputy Commissioner of Police’s office.
The incident stemmed from a demonstration near Connaught Place on July 20, where Lochab was struck by multiple metal projectiles during a student march. Medical examinations revealed more than 200 pellets embedded across the student’s body, including several in his right eye and near his heart, which required two surgical interventions at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and left his vision severely impaired. Lochab and his legal counsel had originally submitted a detailed complaint on August 14, but approached Gandhi after facing administrative delays in having the case formally accepted.
Gandhi, accompanied by Lochab and his mother, initially sought to lodge the complaint at the Mandir Marg station before moving to Parliament Street to meet with senior district police officials. After early discussions failed to yield an immediate registration, Gandhi staged a dharna inside the station complex, later joined by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other senior leaders. Gandhi publicly displayed medical records and a recovered pellet, calling the eventual case filing a vital initial step while questioning why ordinary citizens encounter institutional resistance when seeking legal recourse in the capital.
Police officials maintained that grievances emerging from the July 20 protest were already under ongoing review by the Crime Branch and subject to court scrutiny. Senior opposition leaders, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, criticised the central administration and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the handling of the student demonstration and demanded accountability regarding the use of force by law enforcement personnel.
