- Protester alleges pellet gun injury during Delhi CJP march.
- Delhi Police deny using pellet guns, call claims false.
- .Pellet guns are less-lethal crowd control weapons.
A 25-year-old man said that he was shot by a pellet gun during the Cockroach Janata Party’s protest on July 20. Even as the youth suffered multiple injuries on his face, hands, and upper body, he claimed that he did not regret joining the protest, adding that he “supported the cause.” On Monday, the protestor, who is an IT professional from Gurugram, reached near the Kerala Bhavan to join the Parliament protest march at around 9 am.
'There Was Blood Everywhere'
He described the CJP protest as a peaceful one; however, the situation became uneasy after the security personnel started pushing back the agitators. The Gurugram youth then revealed that the police lathi-charged them and sprayed tear gas. As they turned back after a moment, the cops had barricaded them. He pleaded to the security personnel to not beat them, saying, ""We are students; please do not beat us. We are citizens, not terrorists.”
The man said that he never expected the official to use th weapon. “He pointed the weapon towards me; I never imagined he actually would,” the man added. The man mentioned how the pellets stuck to his eyebrows, nose, chin, cheeks, chest, and nose. “There was blood everywhere when I touched my face,” he claimed.
Recommended For You
The protestor was then taken to the Lady Hardinge Hospital and was discharged a day later. He is currently recovering at home. All the pellets have now been removed from his body. According to Times of India, doctors removed several pellets from his face and upper body, though one remained lodged near a major blood vessel in his neck. A medical professional said that his eyes have healed well after the surgery.
What Did the Delhi Police and PIB Say?
Delhi Police have refuted the allegations of pellet guns' usage at the Chalo Sansad march. Sharing a post on X, the Delhi Police said, "FACT CHECK. Claims stating that Delhi Police forces used pellet guns against peaceful protesters yesterday are completely false and misleading. Delhi Police neither possess pellet guns nor do they use them in the ongoing protest. The public is requested not to share or circulate any unverified or misleading information."
The Press Information Bureau's (PIB) fact-check handle on X wrote, "Social media posts are circulating a video claiming that police forces used pellet guns against peaceful protesters in Delhi. This claim is fake. Always rely on official sources for verified information..."
What Are Pellet Guns?
Pellet guns, also known as pump-action guns or riot shotguns, fire cartridges that release dozens of small metal pellets in a spread. These bullets disperse multiple pellets over a wide area. In India, they have primarily been used by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Jammu and Kashmir Police as a less-lethal crowd-control weapon against violent mobs.
They were first introduced in Kashmir after the 2010 unrest, in which more than 100 people died in police firing, as an alternative intended to reduce fatalities compared with live ammunition.