A general diary entry registered at Parliament Street police station confirms the Rapid Action Force fired pellet guns at protesters on the instructions of a Delhi Police Deputy Commissioner of Police.
The revelation directly contradicts previous denials by the Delhi Police regarding the use of pellet guns during the July 20 demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
The protest, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradesh, resulted in severe injuries to several demonstrators.
A general diary entry filed by the Rapid Action Force (RAF) at Parliament Street police station contradicts earlier official claims. Delhi Police previously denied using pellet guns during the July 20 march to Parliament, in which at least four persons were hit with pellets.
Accoring to a report by The Hindu, the document, registered at 1.24 a.m. and accessed by the publication, confirms the RAF fired two rounds from an anti-riot gun following instructions from a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) rank officer.
The entry outlines the measures taken to control the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest. It recorded that "on the orders of the DCP," the RAF Deputy Commandant fired "55 rounds of non-electrical shell, 15 rounds of electrical shell, five tear smoke granite, two rounds using ballistic cartridges with plastic pellets from an anti-riot gun".
Protest and Severe Injuries
The incident represents the first time authorities deployed a pellet gun against unarmed protesters in the national capital. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commands the RAF, an anti-riot unit that uses pellet guns and shock-batons as standard gear.
Authorities deployed the unit alongside Delhi Police to manage crowds at Jantar Mantar on July 20. The CJP had organised the demonstration to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The firing resulted in severe consequences for the demonstrators. Two people hit by pellets allegedly fired by RAF personnel were operated upon at government hospitals, The Hindu reported on July 21. Sahil Lochab (19) risks losing vision in his right eye due to a pellet piercing his pupil during the July 20 protest, his family members said.
Supreme Court Legal Challenge
The Supreme Court is currently hearing several petitions concerning the use of disproportionate force by the police against protesters. On July 27, former Intelligence Bureau Special Director Yashovardhan Azad and two other pellet gun victims—an artist and another professional—moved the Supreme Court.
The petition demands decommissioning or banning the use of wholly or partly metallic kinetic projectiles or pellets fired from pump action rifles or projectile action guns (PAG) for civilian crowd dispersal.
The petitioners also seek exemplary compensation for all individuals who sustained state-action pellet injuries on July 20. They demand complete medical treatment, care and rehabilitation for the affected victims.
