New Delhi: A general diary entry filed by the Rapid Action Force (RAF) has revealed that personnel used an anti-riot gun loaded with plastic pellets during
the July 20 Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) march towards Parliament. According to the diary entry, registered at Parliament Street Police Station at 1.24 am, the crowd-control measures were carried out following directions from a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP)-rank officer.
The record, accessed by The Hindu, has emerged only days after Delhi Police publicly denied that pellet guns were used during the protest.
The diary states that the RAF Deputy Commandant fired multiple types of anti-riot ammunition while attempting to disperse protesters.
According to the entry, “on the orders of the DCP,” the officer fired 55 rounds of non-electrical shell, 15 rounds of electrical shell, five tear smoke grenade, and two rounds using ballistic cartridges with plastic pellets from an anti-riot gun.
The disclosure appears to contradict earlier statements by Delhi Police denying the use of pellet guns during the demonstration.
Following the July 20 protest, several people reportedly sustained pellet injuries. Earlier reports said at least two individuals required surgery after allegedly being struck by pellets fired during the clashes.
One of them, 19-year-old Sahil Lochab, reportedly suffered a serious eye injury after a pellet pierced his pupil. His family has claimed he faces the risk of losing vision in his right eye.
The RAF, a specialised anti-riot unit under the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), had been deployed alongside Delhi Police around Jantar Mantar following the CJP’s call for a protest demanding the resignation of the Union Education Minister.
The reported use of plastic pellets has intensified scrutiny of police crowd-control methods. The Supreme Court is already hearing petitions alleging excessive use of force against protesters.
On July 27, former Intelligence Bureau Special Director Yashovardhan Azad, along with two people injured during the protest, approached the apex court seeking a ban on the use of metallic kinetic projectiles and pellet-based weapons for crowd dispersal. They have also sought compensation, medical treatment and rehabilitation for those injured during the July 20 protest.
