Politics
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Document shows DCP ordered pellet gun use on protesters
The Hindu··28 Jul
A general diary entry shows that the Rapid Action Force fired two rounds from an anti-riot gun using plastic pellet cartridges on the orders of a Deputy Commissioner of Police during the July 20 protest march, days after Delhi Police had denied using pellet guns. It marks the first known use of pellet guns against unarmed protesters in the capital.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Anyone attending future public protests in Delhi gets clarity on what crowd control weapons authorities have used, despite earlier denials.
- Citizens seeking accountability now know the specific rank of officer who authorised the pellet gun use, per the leaked document.
- It shows how official records, not just eyewitness accounts, can establish facts that police initially denied.
What's Happening
- A police document shows the Rapid Action Force fired pellet gun rounds at protesters on the orders of a Deputy Commissioner of Police.
- This marks the first confirmed use of pellet guns against unarmed protesters in Delhi, days after police denied using them.
- A 19 year old protester, Sahil Lochab, risks losing vision in his right eye after being hit by a pellet.
A Diary Entry Contradicts an Official Denial
- The general diary entry records 55 non-electrical shells, 15 electrical shells, five tear smoke grenades and two pellet cartridge rounds fired that day.
- Retired Intelligence Bureau Special Director Yashovardhan Azad has petitioned the Supreme Court to ban metallic pellet projectiles for crowd control.
- The Supreme Court is separately hearing multiple petitions on disproportionate police force used against student protesters nationwide.
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