Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday sat on a dharna outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police at Delhi’s Parliament Street Police Station, protesting the alleged refusal by police to register a complaint from a student who suffered pellet-gun injuries during a protest.
Gandhi reached the police station with the student, who was allegedly injured by pellet-gun fire during the protest. There was no immediate reaction from the Delhi Police to the allegations. The alleged use of pellet guns during the July 20 CJP protest has become a major point of contention, with the opposition and CJP stepping up pressure on the Delhi Police over its handling of the protests.
Congress said the Delhi Police had refused to register the youth’s complaint, prompting Gandhi to stage the protest. “Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition is on a dharna outside DCP office, New Delhi alleging that ‘Delhi Police refused to file FIR in the Pellet gun victim case’,” Congress said in a post on X. On Thursday, the Supreme Court constituted a five-member high-powered enquiry committee headed by former judge Justice R Subhash Reddy to examine allegations of police excesses during the protests.
What is the case?
The party further alleged that Rahul Gandhi accompanied Lochav to the police station on Friday to press for action, but the DCP again did not provide the case officer or I/O number. Congress alleged that the student, Sahil Lochav, accompanied by his lawyers, submitted a written complaint to the Delhi Police on August 14 but was not given an I/O number. The party said the complaint was pursued again on August 17 through email and phone calls, but no I/O number or acknowledgement was provided.
Congress said the alleged offence is cognisable and therefore requires registration of an FIR, but claimed the Delhi Police had failed to do so.
