Centre lying on pellet gun use against protesters, says Rahul Gandhi

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday, July 24, 2026, accused the government of lying about the use of pellet guns. He had previously met Sahil Lachob, who was injured by a pellet gun during security forces’ action against protesters on July 20 (first Hindu).

Mr Gandhi said Dharmendra Pradhan was a “criminal education minister” who was a symbol of the collapse of India’s education system and should be sacked.

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In an apparent attempt to reach out to Gen Z, Mr Gandhi chose to hold a live press conference with Sahil on Instagram, a platform preferred by young people, after meeting him at 10 Janpath, the official residence of Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi.

The political debate over the alleged use of pellet guns during the July 20 protests has now intensified. While the Delhi Police denied using pellet guns against protesters, the CRPF, where Rapid Action Force personnel were also deployed, said it had “confirmed” reports of the use of this weapon.

Also Read | CRPF ‘confirms’ reports of pellet guns used against protesters in Delhi: official

Standing next to Sahil outside 10 Janpath, Mr Gandhi said the government had misled the country by denying the use of pellet guns against student protesters.

“The government says ‘no’. My brother was shot with a pellet gun while protesting peacefully with a tricolor paint gun in his hand,” the Congress leader told reporters.

Mr Gandhi lifted Sahil’s shirt to show the injuries on his torso and said the teenager’s right eye was also damaged and his eyesight was impaired. “This is the future of our country. Thousands of youths were shot with pellet guns and beaten in lathi charge. They were protesting peacefully,” he said.

The Congress leader said Sahil had taken the police recruitment exam but it was claimed that his document was leaked. “His parents spent their hard-earned money to give him this opportunity. The government attacked our future,” he said.

Mr Gandhi said those responsible for “attacking” the students should be punished and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologize to the students. “Stop attacking and threatening our students,” he said, accusing the government of suppressing a peaceful movement.

Sahil, who had surgery to remove the pellets from his eye and was waiting for a new one, demanded justice. He was initially taken to Safdarjung Hospital and later to Lady Hardinge Medical College before being transferred to AIIMS Trauma Centre.