New Delhi: The Delhi Police may have denied the use of Pump Action Guns (PAGs), also known as pellet guns, during clashes with Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters and students on July 20, but hospital records reveal otherwise.
A government hospital has confirmed that a 28-year-old, who was marching with the protesters on the day, endured “pellet wounds” on his right elbow and back, as reported by NDTV.
According to the patient’s case sheet at Safdarjung Hospital, his injuries include: “darkened skin around wounds, pellet shards stuck to skin and tenderness on impact sites”.
The Delhi Police have, however, called reports of its use of PAGs completely “false and misleading”.
The man with pellet injuries was moved to the hospital at 4pm on July 20.
While it is not known whether the Delhi Police actually owns PAGs, they are very much a part of the armoury of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), the anti-riot unit under Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which was stationed at the Jantar Mantra protest site alongside Delhi Police on Monday. The CRPF is silent on the use of pellet guns.
PAGs are non-lethal weapons if used carefully. They fire cartridges loaded with up to 600 metal or rubber pellets, which disperse in a widespread manner at speeds of 1,000 feet per second.
While this is very effective in quelling mob violence, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is to fire the weapons from a minimum distance of 500 feet. The muzzle of the gun should always be pointed below the waist to avoid injuries to the face and viral organs.
The Safdarjung Hospital case may not be the only one.
A teenager named Sahil Lochab was allegedly hit by a pellet in his right eye during the CJP protest. The Najafgarh resident was among the 60 protesters injured, according to Delhi Police estimates.
Lochab has undergone one surgery to repair the injured eye and remove pellets and is awaiting another. He was first taken to Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital and later shifted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre.
He suffered multiple pellet injuries to his face, neck, chest, right shoulder and arm, PTI reported.
Sheikh Mansoori (25), a Gurugram resident, also allegedly suffered seven pellet injuries to his face, including to his nose, forehead, both eyes and cheeks. He underwent surgery and is likely to require another procedure.
The CJP has accused authorities of using excessive force against the protesters. “Maybe this was the first time in a democracy’s recent history that the police unleashed such brutality (on the agitators). They had directly aimed to beat on the heads of students, their skulls were cracked open, and legs fractured,” it said.
“The police even used pellet guns and some people have lost vision,” it added.
Similar allegations were made by the All India Students’ Association (AISA) on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court sought responses from the Centre and the city police on two pleas alleging excessive use of force.