Alappuzha (Kerala): AICC general secretary KC Venugopal on Friday alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the Delhi Police not to register an FIR on a complaint filed by a 19-year-old youth who suffered pellet gun injuries during the NEET paper leak protest in the national capital.
Venugopal, who is also an Alappuzha MP, was responding to questions about Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi staging a dharna outside Parliament Street police station in New Delhi, demanding registration of an FIR over the injuries suffered by Sahil Lochab during a July 20 protest.
Venugopal said Gandhi had accompanied Sahil and his mother to the police station after no case registered on his complaint.
He said Sahil had suffered a pellet injury to his eye and was facing the possibility of losing his eyesight.
“The mother and the boy came and gave a complaint, so an FIR must be registered and investigated,” he said.
Venugopal alleged that the police’s refusal to register a case was based on instructions from Shah.
“The police did not refuse to register the case on their own. We spoke to the police officers over the phone, and it became clear that they had been instructed from above not to register the case. They would not name the person who had issued the instruction, but it is clear that the direction came from Amit Shah,” he alleged.
Venugopal questioned the government’s action against students and asked why they were being “hunted down”.
“Why are these poor students being hunted down like this? We don’t understand. Can’t this be stopped?” he said.
He also questioned who had ordered the use of pellet guns during the protest.
“We have a right to know, and the nation has a responsibility to know, who gave the instruction to use this. No one answered,” he said.
Venugopal alleged that Sahil had approached the police station a week earlier and filed a complaint, but the police had not registered a case.
He said Sahil, his mother and their lawyer subsequently approached Rahul Gandhi, who decided to accompany them to the police station.
“Without getting an answer on this issue, there is no question of Rahul Gandhi leaving from there. There is no question of leaving without an FIR being filed. Let them arrest and send him to jail there if they want,” Venugopal said.
Venugopal alleged that the Prime Minister and Home Minister were avoiding questions from students, while the Leader of the Opposition had to protest outside a police station to seek justice for them.
“If a situation has arisen in India where the Leader of the Opposition has to sit in protest at a police station to get justice for students, understand that this is the hallmark of this government. We will leave only after getting an answer,” he said.
