RAF man fired 7 rounds from pellet gun, 5 hit protesters during CJP’s Parliament march: Probe

At least three persons were treated in hospitals for pellet gun injuries sustained during the protest march.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is learnt to have found that a person from its Rapid Action Force (RAF), who was deployed in Connaught Place area during the July 20 protest march to Parliament, fired at least seven rounds from his pellet gun. Five rounds hit protesters, while two struck the ground, sources told The Indian Express.

As reported by , the CRPF had initiated an inquiry into whether pellet guns were used by RAF personnel during the crackdown on protesters.

At least three persons were treated in hospitals for pellet gun injuries sustained during the protest march — Irshad Sheikh, 25, who works in Gurgaon; Sahil Lochab, 19, a Delhi University student, and a 28-year-old journalist with Outlook magazine.

After examining log entries made by RAF personnel, it emerged that a total of seven pellet rounds had been fired by one RAF person in Connaught Place, said a source. “Five of the rounds hit the protesters and two hit the ground. The rounds were fired after protesters attacked security personnel and started pelting stones,” the source said.When contacted, DG (CRPF) Gyanendra Pratap Singh reiterated his earlier statement: “Now, since the agitation has been called off, and assembled people have dispersed, we would make a professional post-event assessment, like we do after every major assignment, and then let you know the view of the Force headquarter

Queries sent to RAF Inspector General Seema Dhundhia and the CRPF spokesperson did not elicit any response.On Sunday, The Indian Express reported that Dhundhia was learnt to have told personnel that the “force gradient” adopted for crowd control during the July 20 protest march was not in accordance with prescribed standards and RAF training. The observation came after an internal review flagged serious operational lapsesDhundhia held a video conference on July 22 with company commanders and commandants deployed in Delhi. “The meeting reviewed the role, deployment and conduct of RAF personnel during the protest at Jantar Mantar and the Sansad Chalo march. A series of corrective measures were laid down for future law and order duties,” a source said.

“Officers were instructed that force must be used only to the extent necessary, and in a judicious, fair, balanced and sensitive manner. They were also told that before using force, personnel should issue necessary warnings and follow graded crowd-control measures such as lathicharge, tear smoke and other approved methods, depending on the situation,” the source said