Rahul Gandhi stages dharna demanding FIR over pellet injuries in NEET protest
The Leader of Opposition sat outside Parliament Street Police Station seeking registration of a case after a 19-year-old protester suffered eye and abdomen injuries during the July 20 demonstration.
New Delhi2 min read
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Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi staged a sit-in outside the Parliament Street Police Station in New Delhi on 21 August, demanding the registration of a first information report over injuries suffered by a young protester during the July 20 demonstration against the NEET paper leak.
The protester, 19-year-old Sahil Lochab, sustained injuries to his eye and abdomen after police used pellet guns. He underwent surgery at AIIMS Trauma Centre. Gandhi’s action focused on the absence of a formal FIR naming the officers responsible.
The July 20 protest had been organised by the Cockroach Janata Party and other student groups. Clashes occurred near Jantar Mantar. The Supreme Court later constituted a five-member panel to examine allegations of excessive force, including the use of pellet guns and tear gas.
Gandhi’s dharna placed the specific case of Lochab at the centre of the political argument. He argued that the injuries required a criminal investigation rather than an internal administrative review. Police maintained that force had been used to control an unruly crowd and that an inquiry was already under way.
The episode sits within a larger pattern of student protests over examination integrity. The NEET controversy had already produced multiple court petitions and political exchanges between the Centre and opposition parties. The use of pellet guns, more commonly associated with crowd control in other regions, drew particular criticism when applied to a demonstration in the capital.
By choosing the police station as the site of the sit-in, Gandhi forced a public confrontation over the status of the FIR. The demand is concrete: registration of a case, identification of the officers who fired the pellets, and a timeline for investigation. Whether the police respond with an FIR or continue with an internal process will determine the next stage of the dispute.
The Supreme Court panel’s work proceeds in parallel. Its findings on the scale of force used on 20 July will shape the broader institutional response. For the moment, the political focus remains on the individual injuries and the absence of a criminal case.
