Misleading Claim Circulated Identifying Sahil Lochab as Muslim

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, reached Parliament Street Police Station with Sahil Lochab, who was allegedly injured by a pellet. Rahul Gandhi staged a protest for several hours demanding that an FIR be registered. Several Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi, were also present at the spot. Following Rahul Gandhi’s protest, an FIR was registered in Sahil Lochab’s case. Meanwhile, some social media users claimed that Sahil Lochab is Muslim.

A user named Janardan Mishra wrote: “Rahul Gandhi has got his demand accepted. Sahil Lochab, a Muslim, has had his FIR registered and has also been given a copy of it. The government knows very well how to bow down because its spine is already bent, so it remains in a position to bow at all times. First, it had to bow before the farmers, then before the cockroach, and today before Rahul Gandhi. It should therefore be said that the Delhi Police is under the Central Government.”

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Similarly, a user named Subodh C Sarang wrote: “@INCIndia is supporting Sahil Lochab only because he is Muslim. If someone here were a Hindu, would the LoP @RahulGandhi do the same? Never.”

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Fact check:

DFRAC’s investigation found that Sahil Lochab is not Muslim. Sahil himself stated that he is a Hindu and belongs to the Jat community. Speaking to DFRAC, Sushma Devi Yadav, who had contested the Assembly election from Najafgarh on a Congress ticket, also said that Lochab belongs to the Jat community and that the claim that Sahil is Muslim is false.

We investigated the viral claim and found a video posted on Rahul Gandhi’s official X account in which Sahil Lochab can be seen making a statement. In the video, Sahil says, “First of all, I want to tell you that my name is Sahil Lochab. I come from a Hindu family and belong to the Jat community. Please do not spread a false narrative against me.”

साहिल की FIR दर्ज हुई। यह न्याय की तरफ़ पहला क़दम है।

पर सोचिए – एक FIR लिखने की इजाज़त तक गृह मंत्रालय से आनी पड़ी। अब समझ आया कि न्याय पर लगाम किसने लगा रखी है। pic.twitter.com/nvTwbEmplt
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 21, 2026

We also found a report on the ABP News website titled “What is Sahil Lochab’s religion? He revealed it himself after the FIR was registered.” The report states that after the FIR was registered, Sahil Lochab said that he comes from a Hindu family and belongs to the Jat community. He also appealed to people not to spread a false narrative about him.

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A TV9 Bharatvarsh report mentions Sahil Lochab’s father’s name as Deepak. The report states: “Delhi Police registered an FIR on Friday in the case of 19-year-old Sahil Lochab, who was allegedly injured by a pellet during the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest. The victim identified himself as Sahil Lochab. His father’s name is Deepak, and he is a resident of House No. 5, Aggarwal Colony, New Anaj Mandi, Najafgarh, Delhi. He stated his age as around 20 years. In his complaint, he said that he is studying at the School of Open Learning (SOL) of Delhi University.”

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Meanwhile, a Times of India report identified Sahil Lochab’s mother as Jyoti Lochab

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For further verification, the DFRAC team contacted Sushma Devi Yadav, who had contested the election from Najafgarh on a Congress ticket. She confirmed that Lochab belongs to the Jat community and that the claim that Sahil is Muslim is false.

Conclusion:

DFRAC’s fact check makes it clear that the claim circulating on social media identifying Sahil Lochab as Muslim is misleading. Sahil himself has stated that he is from a Hindu family and belongs to the Jat community.