Delhi Police File FIR Over Alleged Pellet Gun Use During CJP Protest After Rahul Gandhi Sit-In

New Delhi: Delhi Police on Friday registered a First Information Report (FIR) following a complaint alleging the use of pellet guns during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in Delhi on July 20, hours after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi staged a sit-in at the Parliament Street police station demanding a case be registered.

The complaint was filed by Sahil Lochav, who alleged that he was injured in pellet firing during the protest. Lochav had earlier said that police had not registered an FIR despite his complaint.

Sources cited by ANI had earlier said police were examining the complaint to determine whether a fresh case could be registered in accordance with Supreme Court directions.

Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, ended his sit-in after the FIR was registered. According to PTI, he said the FIR over the pellet injuries marked the first step towards justice and that its registration after hours of protest highlighted the struggle for justice.

Gandhi demands FIR over pellet injuries

Gandhi had visited the Parliament Street police station earlier on Friday and staged a sit-in demanding that police register an FIR on Lochav’s complaint. Congress members also gathered outside the police station in support of the demand.

"Pellet gun was used at Connaught Place on 20th July. AIIMS report clearly says that there are more than 200 shells inside his body and 3 in his eye. He has lost vision in that eye. There are shells near his heart that cannot be touched. Delhi Police say they did not fire pellet guns. So, there is just one question: someone must have done it...A crime has indeed happened," Gandhi said.

"We are demanding that an FIR be registered. They told us that they have received order from the top and they cannot file an FIR. We won't budge from here until an FIR is registered...All we demand is justice for this family...In this country, Amit Shah's Home Ministry and Delhi Police personnel won't let justice happen," he added.

Lochav had earlier said at the Parliament Street police station that no FIR had been registered on his complaint.

"On 20th July, pellet guns were fired at me. I was admitted to Lady Hardinge, from there, I was referred to AIIMS. I underwent surgery at AIIMS. But the vision in my eye is still not clear. On 14th August, I wrote a 7-page complaint and gave to my lawyer...But the FIR has not been registered," he said.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also backed the demand for an FIR.

"Our demand is simple - register an FIR and give us the FIR number. Sahil has made a genuine demand that an FIR should be registered. LoP Rahul Gandhi is giving voice to this demand. Sahil has demanded an FIR on the illegal action of using a pellet gun by the police. Rahul ji is clear that until a new FIR is registered, we will not leave from here (Parliament Street PS). What we are doing is as per the Constitution," Ramesh said.

Nadda calls protest 'camera-centric drama'

Union Minister JP Nadda criticised Gandhi for staging the protest, saying the Supreme Court had already taken cognisance of the July 20 incident and constituted a five-member high-powered committee headed by a former judge.

Nadda accused Gandhi of engaging in a "camera-centric drama merely to keep himself in the headlines" and alleged that the protest amounted to "cheap, attention-seeking politics". He claimed the sit-in was neither intended to support students nor seek justice.

"The entire nation is once again witnessing the kind of cheap, attention-seeking politics that Rahul Gandhi displayed today outside the Sansad Marg police station. Rahul Gandhi's sit-in protest today is neither for the students nor for the sake of justice; it is a symbol of the Congress party's political desperation and Rahul Gandhi's hunger for media attention," Nadda said.

"The whole country knows that the Supreme Court has already taken cognisance of the July 20th incident and has constituted a five-member high-powered committee headed by a former judge. When the country's apex court is investigating the matter, what does Rahul Gandhi hope to prove by sitting in front of cameras outside the police station? Does the Leader of the Opposition lack faith in the country's judiciary? The truth is that Rahul Gandhi is staging this 'camera-centric' drama merely to keep himself in the headlines," he added.

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BJP links sit-in to Vande Mataram row

Nadda further alleged that Gandhi’s protest was linked to criticism the Congress was facing over the "Vande Matram" issue and claimed the party was trying to divert attention.

"If we consider the timing of this entire drama, we realize that the Congress party is currently facing intense criticism across the nation over the issue of 'Vande Mataram'. The public is demanding answers from the Congress regarding the disrespect shown to the national song, especially as a senior Congress leader was seen cutting a cake designed to look like the Tricolour," he said.

"To conceal this anti-national face of his and to divert attention from the massive embarrassment he has faced, Rahul Gandhi has hastily orchestrated this new drama as a distraction," Nadda added.