Probe after RAF allegedly used pellet rounds during Parliament march

New Delhi: The CRPF has launched a professional review into reports that RAF personnel fired pellet rounds during the July 20 “Sansad Chalo” march from Jantar Mantar, after several protesters reported pellet injuries, sources said.

The review follows media and eyewitness accounts that pellets were fired in the Connaught Place area and that some rounds struck the ground before injuring demonstrators. The CRPF is compiling a detailed report; an official RAF/CRPF investigation is expected once the review is complete.

Police and government officials have repeatedly denied the use of pellet guns during the protest, but victims have come forward with medical records and accounts of pellet wounds. At least four pellet-injury cases linked to the Jantar Mantar march have been reported so far.

CRPF sources said more than 47 RAF personnel were also hurt in clashes in the Connaught Place area, some seriously. Authorities used crowd-control measures including tear gas and lathi-charge during the march.

Opposition leaders have highlighted victims’ injuries. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi displayed marks on protester Sahil Lohchab and accused the government of denying the truth. Lohchab, who said he was holding the national flag at the time, told India Today Digital he suffered multiple pellet wounds and narrowly avoided losing an eye after seeing an officer aim a gun at him.

Pellet guns are generally deployed as a last-resort crowd-control measure after warnings, persuasion, tear gas and water cannons. The CRPF review will examine the RAF’s actions and the overall handling of the operation as part of standard post-event procedures.