NEW DELHI, AUGUST 21: Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a sit-in protest outside the Parliament Street Police Station on Friday after Delhi Police allegedly refused to file a First Information Report regarding a July student protest. Accompanying Sahil Lochav, an injured student facing the permanent loss of his vision, Gandhi demanded immediate accountability and the official registration of a criminal case against the responsible officers. The protest follows weeks of friction between the opposition party and law enforcement over the alleged use of excessive force.
The demonstrations date back to late July, a confrontation that subsequently disrupted parliamentary proceedings during the Monsoon session. Congress party officials stated that Lochav initially submitted a formal written complaint with legal counsel on August 14. Despite repeated follow-ups via phone and electronic mail over the subsequent days, authorities failed to issue a case acknowledgment or assign an Investigating Officer number. Seeking to break the bureaucratic deadlock, Gandhi joined the victim on Friday, migrating through multiple police jurisdictions including the Mandir Marg station and the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police before launching the street demonstration.
The political stakes remain high as the Congress party blames top government leadership for ordering the severe tactical response against the student demonstrators. Gandhi previously brought the medical documentation of the injuries to the public eye during a dedicated press briefing. He directly blamed the federal oversight of the capital’s law enforcement infrastructure for the severe treatment of the youth protesters.
“The students were shot with pellet guns,” Gandhi said. “One boy who was shot with a pellet gun is most likely to lose his eye and may not be able to see. I have seen the AIIMS medical certificate, which shows that he was shot with pellet guns. Shock batons were used, not just normal lathis, lathis with nails. Where did the police get this idea from? My issue is that where our students, people who are open-minded, ask questions, were brutalised on the streets of Delhi. They were shot with pellet guns… I have seen the medical certificate, AIIMS medical certificate… You can see a police officer slapping a minor… The brutalisation of our students is a fundamental issue.”
