A 28 year old man who joined the July 20 Delhi protest march at Jantar Mantar has been found with pellet wounds on his right elbow and back, according to his case sheet at Safdarjung Hospital.

The sheet notes “darkened skin around wounds, pellet shards stuck to skin and tenderness on impact sites.” The man chose not to be named and reached the hospital around 4pm on the day of the march.

Delhi Police have rejected claims that pellet guns were used, calling the reports “completely false and misleading.”

Article Image
ZOOM IMAGE
Pellet injury victim | X ( Citizen Kau)

Why the protest happened

Also Read | Supreme Court to hear NEET protest police excess pleas after CJI says, ‘Let it be listed; we will entertain’

The march was organised to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak.

The Cockroach Janta Party, which is leading the agitation, says Delhi Police used excessive force to stop protesters from reaching Parliament.

The Rapid Action Force, an anti riot unit under the CRPF, was present at the site along with Delhi Police that day.

Pellet guns and shock batons are standard equipment for this force. The CRPF has not commented on whether pellet guns were used.

About pellet guns

Pellet guns were first deployed in Kashmir in 2010 to control unrest but were later dropped by the state government at the time. They came back into use in 2016 during protests that followed the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

Also Read | NEET row: 47 NTA officials shown the door as Centre cracks down

Each cartridge can release up to 600 metal or rubber pellets that scatter widely at roughly 1,000 feet per second. Guidelines say the weapon should be fired from at least 500 feet away and aimed below the waist.

Political fallout

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday night that a bill to bring in tougher action against paper leaks would be tabled in Parliament the following week.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge responded by demanding that Pradhan be removed and that action be taken against officials responsible for using force on students, saying the government should apologise before any talks on education reform begin.

Also Read | NEET paper leak: Supreme Court seeks lasting reforms, rejects ad hoc fixes

Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi, writing in The Hindu, said the government had responded to peaceful student protests with “cowardice and wanton cruelty.”

She described the July 20 march as a low point in how the state treated young demonstrators and called for the crackdown to stop.

The All India Students’ Association has separately alleged that police used excessive force that day, including pellet guns that injured at least three people.

It also alleged that tear gas was fired into crowded areas, that uniformed men without name tags joined in beating protesters, and that medical volunteers were stopped from helping the injured.

Other protesters hurt in the agitation

Sahil Lochab, a teenager from Najafgarh, was allegedly struck in the right eye by a pellet during an earlier CJP protest on June 20. He is one of about 60 people Delhi Police say were injured that day.

He has had one surgery to remove pellets and repair his eye and needs another. He was treated first at Lady Hardinge Medical College, then Safdarjung Hospital, and was later moved to the AIIMS Trauma Centre on July 21.

Doctors found pellets had caused a hole through his cornea, lodged in his right lung, and reached tissue near his heart.

Also Read | ‘Government has sought time till tomorrow’: Says CJP, Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation remains non-negotiable

Sheikh Mansoori, 25, from Gurugram, was also hurt in the same protest, with reported pellet wounds across his face including his nose, forehead, both eyes and cheeks. He was treated and operated on at Lady Hardinge Medical College and may need a second surgery.

FAQs

1. Did Delhi Police use pellet guns on the July 20 protesters?

Police have denied it, calling the claims false. But a Safdarjung Hospital case sheet confirms a 28 year old protester had pellet wounds on his elbow and back, and other protesters have reported similar injuries in earlier demonstrations.

2. What is the protest about?

Demonstrators are demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET paper leak.