Guwahati: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi called off his more than six-hour protest at the Parliament Street police station on Friday, August 21, after Delhi Police registered an FIR on the complaint of 19-year-old Sahil Lochab, who suffered pellet injuries.
Gandhi began the protest outside the police station after police initially declined to register Lochab’s complaint. He said the FIR marked the beginning of the process of seeking justice for the injured youth.
Lochab has alleged that he has more than 200 pellets lodged in his body. He has also suffered an eye injury, with doctors reportedly telling him that his chances of recovering his vision are less than 1 per cent.
Gandhi said Lochab had been seeking registration of the case for nearly a month and had approached different police stations. He said the situation reflected the difficulties faced by people seeking legal action over alleged crimes.
Gandhi had earlier alleged that the police were facing pressure from senior authorities over the complaint. After the FIR was registered, he claimed that approval from senior officials in the Union Home Ministry was required before the case could be filed.
The FIR has been registered under Section 118(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which relates to voluntarily causing hurt through dangerous weapons or means.
The case has been assigned to an investigating officer at the Parliament Street police station for further investigation.
Gandhi also referred to other people seeking justice, including victims of sexual assault and intimidation, while speaking about the delay in registering Lochab’s complaint.
He said the case demonstrated the difficulties people can face when trying to get their complaints formally registered and acted upon.
The FIR was registered after Gandhi spent more than six hours at the police station, demanding that Lochab’s complaint be registered.