Delhi Police on Friday registered an FIR against unknown persons on a complaint filed by student Sahil Lochab, following an eight-hour sit-in by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi outside the Deputy Commissioner of Police’s office at Parliament Street Police Station.
Gandhi had staged the protest alleging that police had refused to register an FIR over Lochab’s complaint concerning the alleged use of a pellet gun during a student protest.
After the FIR was registered, Lochab thanked Gandhi for supporting his case.
“I am thankful to Rahul Gandhi ji, who sat here for eight hours, following which this FIR was registered,” Lochab told reporters.
He said Gandhi’s team had been in contact with him for about a month and that the Congress leader had personally been enquiring about his health.
Lochab said he had informed Gandhi on Thursday that his complaint had still not been registered. Gandhi then asked him to meet him the following day and assured him that the FIR would be filed.
The student also thanked people who had prayed for his recovery, saying he was able to stand again despite what he described as around 200 pellets lodged in his body.
“This is a victory for justice,” Lochab said.
However, he questioned why it took eight hours for the police to register the FIR despite both the complainant and the Leader of the Opposition being present.
Lochab said he had been visiting the police station repeatedly since August 14 seeking registration of the case, but the FIR was filed only after seven to eight days.
“In fact, the FIR might not have been lodged if the LoP had not helped me,” he said.
Lochab’s mother also expressed gratitude to Gandhi for assisting the family in getting the complaint registered.
The FIR comes amid a wider political dispute over allegations that security personnel used pellet guns against students during a protest march in Delhi on July 20. Delhi Police has denied that its personnel used pellet guns during the protest, while the allegations have become a major point of confrontation between the Congress and the government.
