Protester alleges security forces shot her during Jantar Mantar demonstration

A 32-year-old corporate worker from Gurugram has alleged that she sustained gunshot injuries at the hands of security forces during youth protests in central Delhi on July 20, marking the first such claim among several reported pellet gun casualties.

Identifying herself as Nutan, the woman stated in an interview with The Hindu that her ear was severely damaged and required immediate surgical intervention. Medical records from the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital support her account, with her discharge summary explicitly citing "trauma to right ear by gunshot". However, the Delhi Police has disputed these findings, maintaining that her official Medico-Legal Report classifies the wound as having been inflicted by a blunt weapon rather than a firearm.

Recounting the incident, Nutan explained that she had been standing alongside other demonstrators near a landmark steel lion statue in a elevated section of a park adjoining Jantar Mantar, situated away from the primary demonstration area. According to her account, personnel positioned in blue uniforms below aimed their weapons in her direction and fired as the group attempted to flee, causing a bullet to graze her right ear. The impact caused severe bleeding and an immediate loss of hearing, prompting her to hail an ambulance on the main road to reach RML Hospital, where she underwent a two-hour surgical procedure.

Nutan raised concerns regarding her post-operative care, alleging that hospital authorities discharged her just 15 minutes after she emerged from surgery. She further claimed to have observed unequal treatment within the facility, noting that police officers presenting minor injuries were promptly provided with stretchers. Her recovery was further hampered by persistent transportation disruptions and severe roadblocks across the National Capital Region, which turned subsequent travel between Gurugram and the hospital for required wound dressings into a multi-hour struggle. Nutan has since left Gurugram to continue her recovery in her hometown of Ranchi.