CRPF claims pellet gun use not a human rights violation
The CRPF responded to an RTI filed by former Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale.
In response to an RTI, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has claimed that the use of pellet guns on protestors in Delhi does not constitute a human rights violation. Surprisingly, under the law, the CRPF is exempt from the RTI Act, but this exemption does not apply to cases related to corruption and human rights violations. The CRPF promptly sent a response to the applicant in this matter.
The CRPF provided this response following an RTI filed by former Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale. Saket Gokhale posted on X, stating,
"In response to my RTI, the CRPF refused to provide information, claiming that the use of pellet guns on protestors in Delhi is not a human rights violation. When an appeal was filed against this decision, the appellate authority also refused to provide information on the same grounds."
He further stated,
"Initially, the Modi-Shah government denied the use of pellets on protestors. Then, when the truth came out, they refused to provide details of the total number of victims. It is extremely shocking that the use of pellet guns—claimed to be banned under international law—on unarmed youth in India's capital by the CRPF under Amit Shah is not considered a human rights violation. Such an argument is astonishing in any civilized democracy."
It is noteworthy that on July 20, during a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, students were subjected to a lathi charge and the use of pellet guns. Initially, the police and government denied the use of pellet guns in the protest. However, after videos of pellet gun usage surfaced and the opposition continued to attack on this issue, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi went to the police station on August 21 to file an FIR for Sahil, a youth injured by pellet gun firing. After Rahul Gandhi's seven-hour sit-in, the police registered the FIR.
During this time, Rahul Gandhi appeared with Sahil in front of cameras and journalists and held up a small plastic container. He opened the container and showed its contents to the journalists.
Rahul Gandhi said,
"These are pellets, take a good look at them, these are pellets."
He then asked where these pellets came from and answered himself:
"They came from his body."
He asked Sahil to show his injuries. Wearing dark glasses, Sahil rolled up his T-shirt sleeve to reveal his injuries.
Rahul Gandhi said,
"These pellets hit him here. There are 200 pellets inside his body and three pellets in his eye."
He then showed reports from Lady Hardinge Medical College and AIIMS, stating that these reports confirm the presence of over 200 pellets in Sahil's body.
The youth affected by the pellet gun is named Sahil Lochab. According to reports, Sahil lost vision in one eye due to the pellet gun usage. Sahil alleges that the pellets used by the paramilitary force on students during the protest caused him to lose vision in one eye. Saket Gokhale sought information on this matter through an RTI. Saket Gokhale is a former MP and currently the national spokesperson for the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC).
It should be noted that the issue of pellet gun usage during the student protest on July 20 has become a major controversy. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has held the Union Home Minister responsible and demanded his resignation. The opposition was asking Amit Shah to answer for the repression on students, but Amit Shah did not respond to this issue in Parliament.
The Hindu reported that the daily diary of the Parliament Street Police Station mentions the use of anti-riot guns and plastic pellets by RAF personnel during the protest. According to the diary entry, RAF personnel fired two rounds from anti-riot guns and two rounds of plastic pellets while trying to control the crowd. Following this incident, there has been a growing demand for an independent investigation into police action against the protestors, especially the allegations that students were injured by pellets and other crowd control methods.
The Supreme Court has constituted a five-member high-level inquiry committee headed by former judge Justice R. Subhash Reddy to investigate police excesses during the protest. This committee will examine allegations related to the use of pellet guns, electric batons, lathi charges, tear gas, and other methods used for crowd control.