HighLights
  1. Delhi Police accepts Rahul Gandhi's FIR demand.
  2. FIR filed over pellet gun use in student protests.
  3. Rahul Gandhi staged sit-in with injured student.

Pellet Gun Firing Row: The Delhi Police on Friday filed an FIR, accepting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's demand for lodging a case over the pellet gun firing on a youth during the student protests in the national capital last month. Gandhi, along with withh Sahil Lochab, who allegedly suffered grave injuries due to pellet gun firing during the student protests on July 20, resorted to a sit-in outside the Parliament Street Police Station in central Delhi. 

What Gandhi Said After Police File An FIR

Speaking to reporters after an FIR was filed by the Delhi police, Gandhi said this was the first step towards justice.

"This is the first step taken towards justice, and the case has been registered. There are pellets in Sahil's body and eyes. Pellets have also struck near his heart, and he cannot see from one eye. It has been a month since this happened. We came to file the FIR at 11:30 this morning. We demanded justice for one citizen of Hindustan and his family, and even that took nearly seven and a half hours. It's worth thinking about that when it takes this much time to get justice at a police station right in the heart of Delhi, what must happen at police stations in villages and small towns," he added.

Only when the Home Secretary and Amit Shah gave final permission did the police register the FIR, he alleged. "In such a situation, you can understand who was holding back the FIR. The police wanted to file the FIR, but a brake had been applied on justice from 'above'," the Congress MP added.

Won't Budge Until FIR Is Lodged: Rahul On Dharna With Pellet Victim

Earlier in the day, Gandhi on Friday sat on a dharna at the Parliament Street police station, saying he would not budge until an FIR is registered on a complaint by a youth who suffered pellet injuries during the CJP-led July 20 protest.

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Gandhi claimed that he was told by police officers that an FIR could not be registered as "there are orders from the top".

The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha also targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying that he was afraid of justice. Gandhi, along with Lochab, first visited the Mandir Marg police station and sought the registration of the FIR. After his demand was not accepted, he went to the Parliament Street police station and met Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi district) Sachin Sharma.

After the discussion with Sharma failed to yield results, the Congress leader sat on a dharna at the police station, which also houses the DCP office. Lochab and his mother were also there. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other senior party leaders also joined the protest.

Victim Suffered Pellet Injuries To The Eyes And Abdomen

Lochab suffered pellet injuries to the eyes and abdomen during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest against the NEET paper leak and alleged examination irregularities, and later underwent surgery at the AIIMS Trauma Centre.

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"We are only saying that an FIR must be lodged. Sahil is here, and his mother is accompanying him. The police officials are saying an FIR cannot be registered as there are orders from the top. Till an FIR is registered, we will not budge from here," Gandhi told reporters.

'Anarchic Politics': BJP Hits Out At Rahul Gandhi

Meanwhile, the BJP accused Gandhi of indulging in "cheap and anarchic" politics by staging a dharna outside the police station, alleging that it was an attempt to divert attention from his party's stand on the Vande Mataram issue. Union Health Minister JP Nadda said Gandhi's dharna was neither for students nor for justice but reflected the Congress' "political frustration" and his "hunger for footage".

"Today, the entire nation has once again witnessed Rahul Gandhi's cheap and attention-diverting politics, which he displayed outside the Parliament Street police station. Rahul Gandhi's protest is neither for students nor for justice; it is a symbol of the Congress party's political frustration and Rahul Gandhi's hunger for footage," Nadda told reporters.

Linking Gandhi's protest to the ongoing political row over Vande Mataram, Nadda alleged that the Congress was facing criticism over its stand on the national song and Gandhi had staged the sit-in to divert attention from the issue.

(With PTI Inputs)


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