RAF man fired ‘anti-riot gun’ twice at protesters on orders of senior Delhi cop during CJP’s Sansad Chalo march

At least three people who participated in the July 20 protest sustained pellet injuries: Irshad Sheikh, 25, who works in Gurgaon; Sahil Lochab, 19, a Delhi University student; and a 28-year-old journalist with Outlook magazine. One of them risks losing his eyesight.

Last week, the RAF had said it would inquire into the use of pellets by its personnel even as the Delhi Police had categorically denied its usage. A comment from the Delhi Police in this regard is awaited.

According to a General Diary entry — an official log maintained at every police station, which records all important events, information received, and actions taken by the police — filed on July 22 at 1.24 pm at the Parliament Street police station, a RAF Deputy Commandant told the duty officer that he was deployed near Jantar Mantar with a DCP-rank officer from North Delhi district on July 20.

The DCP had been called in to oversee the law and order situation at the protest site, along with multiple IPS officers from other districts. As per the diary entry, an RAF officer claimed that on the DCP’s orders, he fired the ARG twice on protestors, along with 55 non-electrical shells, 15 electrical shells and five tear gas shells.

A source in Delhi Police, however, still denied that they authorised the use of any pellet guns during the protest. According to sources, a meeting of senior officers was held at the Police Headquarters, where the validity of the General Diary entry was discussed. Question marks were raised over why the diary entry was done two days after the incident had happened. A source also claimed that the IPS officer denied being present at the site of the incident at the time it happened, claiming to be about 500 metres away from there.

According to another source in the Delhi Police, the DCP, whose name was mentioned in the General Diary entry at Parliament Street police station, was initially deployed in Zone 3 near Parliament Street. When the crowd moved towards Parliament, he was shifted to Zone 6, the source said.

The Indian Express had reported that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is learnt to have found that an RAF personnel deployed during the march fired at least seven rounds from his pellet gun. Five rounds hit protesters, while two struck the ground, sources had told The Indian Express.

DG (CRPF) Gyanendra Pratap Singh had said: “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.”