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New Delhi: The Rapid Action Force (RAF) fired pellet guns at protesters during the July 20 demonstration against alleged irregularities in public examinations on the directions of a Delhi Police officer, The Hindu reported on Tuesday, citing official documents.
According to the report, a general diary entry made by the RAF at 1.24 am stated that two rounds were fired from an anti-riot gun on the instructions of a deputy commissioner of police-rank officer.
The diary entry reportedly recorded that, to control the crowd, the RAF deputy commandant fired 55 rounds of non-electrical shells, 15 rounds of electrical shells, five tear smoke grenades and two ballistic cartridges loaded with plastic pellets from an anti-riot gun following the DCP's orders, Scroll.in reported.
The Hindu reported that at least four people were injured in the firing and described the incident as the first known instance of pellet guns being used in Delhi against unarmed protesters.
The protest began on June 6 when the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) launched a sit-in at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations. Pradhan resigned on Saturday.
On July 20, thousands joined the "Sansad Chalo" march two days after activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike for three weeks, was taken to the hospital by the police. As protesters marched towards Parliament, police dispersed the crowd using lathis, tear gas and, according to reports, pellet guns, leaving dozens injured.
The police action subsequently intensified the agitation, with protests spreading to several parts of the country.
A day after the incident, Delhi Police denied using pellet guns against demonstrators. However, reports indicated that the weapons were carried by the RAF, a unit of the Central Reserve Police Force deployed for riot control during the protest.
Both the Delhi Police and the Central Reserve Police Force function under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Separately, The Indian Express, citing unnamed officials, reported on Monday that an RAF personnel deployed at Connaught Place fired at least seven rounds from a pellet gun, five of which allegedly struck protesters while two hit the ground.
Meanwhile, three petitioners have approached the Supreme Court seeking a ban on the use of pellet guns to disperse civilians during protests. Two of the petitioners, Prashant Kumar Singh and Sheikh Irshad Mansoor, were among those allegedly injured in the July 20 firing, while the lead petitioner is former Intelligence Bureau Special Director Yashovardhan Azad.
The petition argues that pellet guns are unreasonable and dangerous weapons that should not be used for crowd control during civilian protests.