Rahul Gandhi's protest forces police to lodge complaint of pellet injury
Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday staged a sit-in outside a police station in New Delhi on Friday after authorities allegedly refused to register the complaint of a student protester's pellet injuries suffered during last month's Cockroach protest.
Gandhi had accompanied Sahil Lochab to the Parliament Street police station in New Delhi to register a report of his complaint.
His sister and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra later joined him in the sit-in protest.
According to the Congress party, Lochab had previously approached police on August 14 and August 17 but did not receive an acknowledgement or details of the investigating officer.
Gandhi, while talking to media, said medical reports showed that more than 200 pellets were lodged in Lochab's body, including three in his eye, resulting in loss of vision. He also said some pellets were lodged near Lochab's heart and could not be removed.
Lochab's lawyer said police had only stamped and acknowledged the complaint after Gandhi's intervention, and claimed medical reports confirmed that pellet guns had been used.
Gandhi alleged that Delhi Police had denied firing pellet guns during the protest and demanded an investigation into how Lochab sustained the injuries.
"Delhi Police has said that they did not fire the pellets," Gandhi said. "So, there is only one question: If you did not fire them, then someone must have fired these pellets."
आज साहिल लोचब के साथ, उनके साथ हुई पुलिस बर्बरता के खिलाफ FIR दर्ज कराने संसद मार्ग के DCP कार्यालय पहुँचा।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 21, 2026
20 जुलाई को जंतर-मंतर पर शांतिपूर्ण प्रदर्शन कर रहे साहिल पर पुलिस ने पैलेट गन से हमला किया। छर्रों से बुरी तरह घायल साहिल की एक आँख की रौशनी खतरे में है।
शांतिपूर्ण… pic.twitter.com/on2uKkNeUM
"Neither has Home Minister Amit Shah offered any explanation to the students for this cruelty, nor has the Prime Minister apologized to them. Now, when Sahil wants to file an FIR for justice, even that is not being allowed," Gandhi posted on X.
