Rahul Gandhi Sits-In With Pellet Gun Victim: Demand for FIR & Justice

On August 21, 2026, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi staged a high-profile sit-in outside the Parliament Street Police Station in New Delhi, demanding that law enforcement register a formal First Information Report over the deployment of pellet guns against protesters on July 20.

Rahul Gandhi and Sahil Lochab Demand FIR at Parliament Street Police Station

The demonstration brought national attention back to the fallout from a July 20 demonstration led by the Cockroach Janata Party over NEET examination irregularities and paper leaks. According to reporting from The Hindu, Rahul Gandhi accompanied 19-year-old Sahil Lochab to the precinct after local officers repeatedly declined to process their legal complaints. Lochab suffered severe pellet injuries to his abdomen and eyes during the mid-summer protest at Jantar Mantar, necessitating emergency surgery at the AIIMS Trauma Centre. As crowds gathered and police locked down the area, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also arrived to support the family’s quest for accountability.

Frustrated by the police department’s inaction, Gandhi confronted reporters outside the station gates to highlight the breakdown in institutional response. Sahil wants to file FIR, but that is not being allowed. If not Delhi Police, then who? We are only asking for justice for the family, Mr. Gandhi said, speaking to media outside the police station.

Tracing the Breakdown in Filing Complaints with Delhi Police

The push for an official police case follows weeks of procedural roadblocks faced by the injured teenager and his legal representatives. According to the Congress party’s timeline, Lochab initially visited the Delhi Police alongside his lawyers on August 14 to submit a written grievance. Officials allegedly failed to issue an Investigating Officer number or provide standard acknowledgement of the filing. Subsequent digital and telephonic follow-ups executed on August 17 yielded identical results, prompting Gandhi to personally step in and escort the victim to the Deputy Commissioner of Police office on Friday, August 21.

Party representatives emphasized that the police’s hesitation violates standard legal protocols given the severity of the incident. The DCP is again not giving the case officer and I/O number. As it’s a cognisable offence, a FIR also has to be registered, but Delhi police not doing so, the party stated.

Broader Political Fallout Over NEET Protests and Pellet Gun Deployment

The July CJP-led agitation that resulted in Lochab’s injuries also triggered significant political shockwaves in the capital, culminating in the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister on July 25. Supreme Court guidelines note that the use of pellet guns in ‘exceptional circumstances’ is part of a graded police response, yet opposition leaders maintain that the force utilized in July crossed all acceptable boundaries.

Earlier, on July 29, Gandhi convened a press conference to denounce the high-handed tactics deployed against academic demonstrators, directly placing blame on Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the brutality. The addition of a personal sit-in alongside an injured civilian marks an escalation in the opposition’s strategy to force accountability from federal authorities regarding student safety and police conduct in the capital.