New Delhi:
After a sit-in by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi outside the Parliament Street police station for about seven hours on Friday, Delhi Police registered an FIR on a complaint by Sahil Lochab, a student injured by pellets during the July 20 youth protest march.
“This marks the beginning of justice,” the Congress MP said once the FIR copy was made available. “A month had passed. There are pellets in his body; he has lost one of his eyes,” he underlined.
Rahul Gandhi and Sahil Lochab, along with the latter’s mother and lawyer, met the police first around 11:30 am. “I will sit here for as long as needed. I won’t leave,” Gandhi said when talking to the officers at the Parliament Street police station. The FIR was registered only after 6:30 pm, he noted later.
“We sought justice for a citizen of the country, and it took hours. Just imagine what happens at police stations in villages or small towns,” he said, alleging that “orders from above were putting the brakes on justice”.
This was the second such instance of what could be termed an instant dharna by Rahul Gandhi in a month.
Sahil Lochab’s FIR Demand
Delhi University student Sahil Lochab had visited the police station with his lawyer on August 14 and 17, too, but the FIR was not registered, it is learnt. He approached Rahul Gandhi about this on July 19, which was when Rahul told him that he would accompany him. A busy schedule the next day, due to programmes marking the birth anniversary of Rahul’s father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, meant Rahul asked Sahil Lochab to come to his residence only on August 21.
Around 11:30 am on Friday, Rahul Gandhi arrived at the Connaught Place police station first, with Lochab and his mother, without informing any officers beforehand. The staff there directed them to the office of the deputy commissioner of police.
What happened at Parliament Street police station
The DCP (New Delhi) office is within the Sansad Marg (Parliament Street) police station complex, where officials told Rahul that the Supreme Court had already appointed a committee to investigate the police action. But he made it clear that he would not leave without an FIR being registered, regardless of how many hours or days it took.
Rahul Gandhi and Sahil Lochab with a copy of the FIR.
Shortly after, Rahul’s sister and fellow MP Priyanka Gandhi also arrived at the police station. As news spread through the media and social platforms, senior Congress leaders, such as Randeep Surjewala, Kumari Selja and Jairam Ramesh, along with party workers, began to gather and raise slogans. Rahul and others had their lunch right there while waiting for action from the police.
The FIR eventually registered noted that Sahil Lochab, who aspired to join the Delhi Police, was aggrieved by alleged irregularities in the 2025 recruitment examination. He had gone to participate in the student protest at Jantar Mantar and in the march of July 20 called by the Cockroach Janta Party. It was during the march that he was hit by pellets allegedly by “a person in a blue uniform with a large gun”.
Parallel From July 21
The instant-protest tactic was similar to what Rahul did exactly a month earlier, when he had suddenly walked to the prime minister’s official residence on July 21 to protest police action against the march the previous day. The plan was quick, as was the execution.
After parliamentary proceedings were adjourned for the day, Congress MPs were asked to gather at party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence at 3 pm. Since it was Kharge’s birthday, the MPs assumed it was an invitation to a celebration. However, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi suddenly marched with the MPs to the gates of the PM’s residence and staged a sit-in protest.
Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh hurriedly arrived to speak with Rahul Gandhi, but the Congress leader remained adamant on demanding the education minister’s resignation. Kharge also joined in, as did MPs from other parties within the INDIA bloc, including Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party. As this went on for over two hours, police detained and removed all the leaders. Visuals of Rahul and others being taken away by the cops were everywhere.
Four days later, Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as education minister, and the Opposition claimed credit while the CJP celebrated at Jantar Mantar too.
From The Streets To Parliament
Throughout the Parliament Monsoon Session, which had begun on July 20, the Opposition led by Rahul Gandhi relentlessly pressured the government over the issue of police action against students.
Demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah, they staged massive protests both inside and outside the House.
When the government agreed to a discussion on the police action and a statement from Shah during the final week of the session, the Opposition did not cease the uproar. Ultimately, Shah could not speak in the House. Rahul Gandhi repeatedly said the key question needed to be answered first: who authorised the use of pellet guns?
