Journalist, protesters allege pellet injuries during CJP protest; Delhi police refute claims

New Delhi: Allegations over the use of pellet guns during Delhi Police’s crackdown on the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) “Sansad Chalo” protest have intensified after an Outlook India reporter and several protesters claimed they sustained pellet-like injuries during Monday’s clashes near Jantar Mantar.

The reporter alleged that while covering the protest, he was caught amid tear gas and stone-pelting when a security personnel appeared to aim a weapon in his direction, Outlook reported.

He was quoted as saying that he ran for cover but was struck on his backpack and arm. Medical records reportedly documented multiple puncture wounds, while photographs showed injuries resembling pellet wounds.

The allegations gained further attention after 25-year-old protester Shaikh Irshad Mansoori underwent surgery at Lady Hardinge Medical College, where doctors reportedly removed pellets from his face. Another pellet lodged near a blood vessel in his neck could not be removed, while another injured protester with a suspected pellet injury was shifted to AIIMS.

Delhi Police have categorically denied using pellet guns, calling such reports “false and misleading”. The force maintained that it neither possesses nor used pellet guns during the operation and warned of legal action against those spreading misinformation.

The Rapid Action Force (RAF), deployed alongside Delhi Police, is known to have pellet guns as part of its crowd-control equipment, according to media reports. However, neither the CRPF nor the RAF has commented on whether such weapons were used during the protest.

The issue also reached the Supreme Court, where lawyers sought an urgent hearing on the police action. The Bench declined to entertain the plea.

The July 20 protest, organised by the student-led CJP over alleged NEET irregularities, ended in clashes between protesters and police, leaving several people, including security personnel, injured. Calls for an independent inquiry into the allegations have since grown, even as authorities continue to deny that pellet guns were used.