Delhi Police on Friday registered an FIR on a complaint alleging that a student suffered pellet-gun injuries during the July 20 student protest at Jantar Mantar, shortly after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi staged a more than six-hour dharna at the Parliament Street Police Station demanding action on the complaint.
The Congress had alleged that police initially refused to register the complaint despite the student submitting a written representation. According to the party, Lochav, accompanied by lawyers, approached Delhi Police on August 14 and followed up through email and telephone calls on August 17. The Congress claimed that he was not provided an acknowledgement or an investigating officer number.
The FIR registration came after Gandhi began his protest outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police at Parliament Street Police Station. The Congress said the student’s complaint had subsequently been converted into an FIR.
The alleged use of pellet guns during the July 20 student protest has become a major point of contention between the authorities, opposition parties and organisers of the demonstration.
A daily diary entry from Parliament Street Police Station, as reported by Hindustan Times, has added to the controversy. The entry reportedly recorded the use of anti-riot guns and plastic pellets by Rapid Action Force personnel during efforts to control the crowd.
The FIR comes amid broader judicial scrutiny of the police response to the July 20 protests.
The July 20 demonstration has generated conflicting accounts over the conduct of both protesters and police. Protesters and opposition leaders have alleged excessive use of force, while authorities have maintained that security personnel were responding to crowd-control challenges during the demonstration.
