From Campus to Court: FIR Filed Over Severe Injuries During Jantar Mantar Demonstration

An FIR filed on August 21 in Delhi records a harrowing account of a student’s ordeal during a protest against alleged exam malpractice and police recruitment irregularities. Sahil Lochab, a 20‑year‑old student from the School of Open Learning, alleges that on July 20, while participating in a march from Jantar‑Mantar toward Parliament, he was struck by metal pallets fired from a distance.

Lochab describes how a sudden, powerful blast hit his right chest, right arm and his right eye, causing severe bleeding and instant loss of sight. The FIR indicates that a uniformed officer in a blue uniform, equipped with a large firearm, was the source of the attack. Medical examinations at AIIMS revealed more than two hundred metallic fragments embedded near his heart, neck, jaw, and other vital organs.

The victim’s medical journey started at Lady Hardinge Hospital, moved to Safdarjung Hospital, and culminated at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he underwent multiple surgeries, including eye procedures on July 22 and August 1. Doctors have documented that the chance of visual recovery in the right eye is less than one percent, and certain fragments near the optic nerve are deemed irretrievable.

In the FIR, Lochab requests the preservation of CCTV footage from Jantar‑Mantar, Parliament Road, Connaught Place, Patel Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, nearby metro stations and traffic police drones. He also asks for all hospital records, including his Medico‑Legal Certificate (MLC), to be handed over for further legal scrutiny. He credits opposition leader Rahul Gandhi for consistent follow‑up on his condition and urges the authorities to conduct a transparent inquiry.