New Delhi/ Bhopal, August 21, 2026

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi staged a sit-in outside the Parliament Street Police Station on Friday, demanding registration of a case over the alleged use of pellet guns during the CJP-led Parliament march on July 20. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other senior party leaders joined the protest, while the BJP accused the Congress of pursuing “politics of anarchy” and sought to link the protest with the ongoing Vande Mataram controversy.

Rahul Gandhi reached the police station with student Sahil Lochav, who has alleged that he suffered serious pellet injuries during the July protest. Gandhi demanded an FIR and accountability for the alleged police action. Priyanka Gandhi later joined the dharna as security was strengthened around the area.

The confrontation came a day after the Supreme Court constituted a five-member High-Powered Enquiry Committee to independently examine the July 20 violence. The panel is headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice R Subhash Reddy and includes former judges and senior retired police and investigating officials.

The committee will examine allegations of excessive force by police and security personnel, including the alleged use of pellet guns. Its mandate also covers allegations of violence against police personnel and damage to public property. The Supreme Court has asked the panel to give priority to allegations involving targeted violence, harassment and molestation of women protesters.

The July 20 march had begun at Jantar Mantar over alleged examination paper leaks before protesters moved towards Parliament. Clashes followed after sections of the crowd breached barricades, leaving protesters as well as security personnel injured.

Congress has since put the alleged pellet injuries at the centre of its campaign and demanded that responsibility be fixed. Police and government accounts have also pointed to violence against security personnel and damage during the protest. The Supreme Court-appointed committee will now examine evidence surrounding both sets of allegations.

The BJP mounted a strong counterattack following Friday's dharna. Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Rahul Gandhi of indulging in the “politics of anarchy”, arguing that an FIR had already been registered over the July incident and the matter was under investigation. The party also questioned the need for a sit-in at a police station when the Supreme Court had constituted an independent committee to examine the episode.

The BJP simultaneously sought to link the timing of the Congress protest with the Vande Mataram controversy. Prasad alleged that the Congress was attempting to divert public attention from questions over its decision to continue singing only the first two stanzas of the national song at party programmes.

The Congress Working Committee recently decided to retain that practice in accordance with its 1937 resolution. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal defended the decision on historical grounds, pointing to the position adopted during the freedom movement.

The BJP has challenged that argument and demanded respect for the full composition of Vande Mataram. Its leaders have accused the Congress of compromising on a national symbol, opening another political front between the two parties.

The two issues have consequently come together in Friday's political exchange, though the pellet-gun allegations are now separately under judicial examination. The High-Powered Enquiry Committee has been asked to make periodic assessments and submit interim findings. Protesters, police personnel and others concerned can place evidence before it.

Its examination will cover the alleged use of pellet guns and other forms of force against protesters, along with injuries suffered by police personnel, alleged attacks on them and damage to public property during the July 20 confrontation.

Friday's dharna has meanwhile brought the month-old Jantar Mantar episode back to the centre of national politics. Congress is demanding an FIR and accountability over the alleged pellet injuries, while the BJP maintains that the incident is already being investigated and has accused the Opposition of creating confrontation despite the judicial process being underway.

The Justice R Subhash Reddy-led committee will now examine the July 20 events and the evidence placed before it. With both police action and alleged violence against security personnel falling within its mandate, its findings are expected to provide the next substantive development in a controversy that has now triggered a fresh political face-off between the BJP and Congress.