The controversy over the alleged use of pellet guns on students protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar has resurfaced, after Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi staged a sudden sit-in at a police station seeking registration of an FIR.
The protests, led by student groups demanding the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over an alleged NEET question paper leak, had continued for over a month. On July 20, when protesters attempted to march towards Parliament, police carried out a lathi-charge, and protesters have alleged that pellet rounds were also used.
Rahul has repeatedly demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah clarify who authorised the use of pellet weapons. The issue, according to the report, also contributed to disruptions during the recently concluded monsoon session of Parliament.
On Thursday, Rahul visited the Mandir Marg police station along with 19-year-old Sahil Lochab, who was described as having been affected by pellet injuries, and pressed for an FIR. After the request was not accepted, he went to the Parliament Street police station and met Central Delhi Police Commissioner Sachin Sharma, but said no amicable resolution was reached.
Rahul then sat in protest inside the police station along with Sahil, joined by Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, creating brief tension in the area. Rahul alleged that pellet rounds and other harsh crowd-control measures were used on peaceful protesters, and blamed Amit Shah for the incident. Police later registered a case after about six hours, following which Rahul called off the sit-in.
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad criticised Rahul’s protest, noting that the Supreme Court has constituted a high-level committee to look into the Delhi protest incident, and alleged that Rahul was creating a diversion.
