Delhi Police Diary Contradicts Public Claim, Confirms Pellet Rounds Were Fired at Chalo Sansad Protest

New Delhi: A Delhi Police general diary entry has revealed that personnel of the Rapid Action Force fired plastic pellet ammunition during the Chalo Sansad protest in the national capital, contradicting earlier public statements by the police denying the use of pellet guns against demonstrators.

The diary entry, recorded at 1:24 am on July 20 at Parliament Street Police Station, states that the Rapid Action Force carried out the firing on the orders of the Deputy Commissioner of Police. According to the official record, the force used 55 non electrical shells, 15 electrical shells, five tear gas grenades, and two ballistic cartridges containing plastic pellets fired from an anti riot gun.

The disclosure comes shortly after an internal inquiry by the Central Reserve Police Force reportedly found that a Rapid Action Force personnel fired at least seven rounds from a pellet gun during the protest. The inquiry concluded that five of those rounds struck peaceful protesters and that the use of force did not follow standard operating procedures because the demonstrators were unarmed and non violent.

The latest findings directly contradict the Delhi Police’s earlier statement that reports of pellet guns being used during the protest were false and misleading. At the time, the Deputy Commissioner of Police for New Delhi had urged the public not to share what he described as unverified information.

The Rapid Action Force, a specialised anti riot unit of the Central Reserve Police Force, had been deployed during the Chalo Sansad march organised on July 20 by the Cockroach Janta Party along with several student organisations. The protesters were demanding the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak controversy.

The incident is believed to be the first reported use of pellet firing crowd control weapons against unarmed civilian protesters in the national capital. At least five people have reported pellet related injuries following the police action.

Among those injured was 25 year old Prashant Kumar Singh, who sustained pellet wounds during the protest. Along with Sheikh Irshad Mansoori, he has approached the Supreme Court seeking a ban on the use of metallic pellet weapons for crowd control during civilian gatherings.

The petition argues that pellet firing weapons cannot accurately target individuals because they disperse multiple projectiles over a wide area. It contends that their use against civilian assemblies violates the constitutional principles of necessity, proportionality, and reasonableness.

The case has intensified scrutiny of the actions taken by security forces during the July 20 protest, with growing calls for accountability and a review of the methods used to disperse demonstrators.