New Delhi: After leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi sat on a dharna for over five hours on Friday (August 21) outside the Parliament Street police station in New Delhi, an FIR was registered over the injuries suffered by Sahil Lochab, one of the youth protesters hit by pellet guns during the July 20 Sansad March in New Delhi.“This is the first step towards justice. A case has been lodged,” said Gandhi after the registration of the FIR. “It’s been a month. There are pellets in Sahil’s body and eyes. Pellets have also struck near his heart, and he cannot see from one eye. Injustice was against the youth. We came here at 11:30 am, it is past 6:45 pm now. It is worth thinking that if it takes this much time to get justice at a police station in the heart of Delhi, what must happen at police stations in villages and small towns,” he added.“The final approval had to come from home secretary and (Union home minister) Amit Shah. Only then the police registered the FIR. In such a situation, you can understand who was holding back the FIR,” Gandhi alleged.Gandhi’s allegation stands in stark contrast of Shah’s proud claims of digitising FIRs and court judgements in India. Congress, sharing a clip of the same, accused the Modi government of creating a “kabaad (garbage) system”.The FIR has been registered against an “unknown” accused. The Wire, however, has previously confirmed that the pellet guns were fired by the Rapid Action Force (RAF).जननायक राहुल गांधी जी ने करीब साढ़े सात घंटे धरना देकर अमित शाह और उनकी दिल्ली पुलिस को घुटनों पर ला दिया।आख़िरकार FIR दर्ज करनी ही पड़ी।सही कहते हैं- झुकती है दुनिया, झुकाने वाला चाहिए ✊ pic.twitter.com/PqeK0AagaX— Congress (@INCIndia) August 21, 2026The DCP had reportedly refused to comply at first, leading to Gandhi sitting on dharna outside the police station until the police finally agreed to file the FIR.According to the Congress, this is the third time Lochab has approached the police in order to get an FIR registered. His first attempt was on August 14, when he went with his lawyers to submit a written complaint. The police refused to give him the details of the investigating officer at the time. He tried to contact the police again on August 17, on the phone and via email, but did not receive any details or an acknowledgement.Gandhi then decided to accompany Lochab today to try and push the DCP to file and FIR and provide the details. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also joined him on the dharna.‘More than 200 pellets in Lochab’s body’Rahul said that AIIMS and Lady Hardinge Hospital reports show that there are more than 200 pellets lodged in Lochab’s body.“There are more than 200 pellets in his body. Three are lodged in his eye. These are AIIMS and Lady Hardinge Hospital reports, which clearly state that there are more than 200 pellets in his body. There are three pellets in his eye, and he has lost vision in that eye. He will not be able to see through that eye. There are also pellets lodged very close to his heart, which cannot be removed,” he said.“Delhi Police has said that they did not fire the pellets. So, there is only one question: If you did not fire them, then someone must have fired these pellets. Perhaps someone else fired them at him. And if no one else fired them, then perhaps he fired the pellets at himself.”Lochab, his mother Jyoti and his lawyer were also present. “It has taken the LoP coming here for the police to even give a receiving thappa [stamp] on our complaint,” his lawyer said. She added that medical reports have proved beyond doubt that pellet guns were used. Rahul then went ahead to read out the section of the MLC that referred to “pellet wounds”.An earlier report by The Wire had confirmed the use of pellet guns by the RAF against unarmed protesters on July 20 by verifying a video posted on social media. Following the protest in Delhi, hospital records and victim accounts showing serious injuries have been reported, including of 25-year-old Irshad Sheikh, 19-year-old Delhi University student Sahil Lochab and a 28-year-old journalist who works with Outlook magazine. Lochab has lost his eyesight in one eye because of the pellets.Questions over accountabilityOpposition leaders including Gandhi have insisted that Union home minister Amit Shah be held accountable for this use of extreme force against peaceful protesters, and tried to raise this matter in parliament as well. The Union government, however, has been trying to downplay the matter and not engage with the seriousness of injuries caused – with Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju even defending the Delhi Police and security forces by saying that “not a single person died” and the police “should be praised”.The BJP on Friday accused Gandhi of spreading anarchy. BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad at a press conference said that the Supreme Court has already formed a high powered committee, which will also probe whether shots were fired on protesters or not.“Most importantly, the people who were victims approached the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court itself constituted a high-powered committee to look into the matter. The committee is headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and includes two other judges, a former CBI Director, and another senior official,” he said.“So, whether or not shots were fired will itself be a matter of investigation before such a high-powered committee. Then what is the point of all this? Rahul Gandhi, do you have no respect for the rule of law? Can you simply do whatever you feel like, go anywhere, sit on a protest and start creating anarchy?”