Delhi Police denied it, but internal probe finds 2 of their personnel fired during Jamia protests

Hours after the protest, two students of Jamia Millia Islamia, identified as Ajaz Ahmad (20) and Mohammed Shoaib (23), were admitted at Safdarjung Hospital, and a third, identified as Mohd Taimin (23), to Holy Family Hospital, with each alleging that he had received a bullet injury. Their claims were also recorded in the hospital’s MLC (medico-legal case) reports.

Police had, however, denied firing a single bullet. “The MLC report from Holy Family states that there’s an alleged history of a gunshot wound. This was written based on the statement of the injured. We have not fired bullets at any student. Any foreign body like metal or plastic could have caused injury. Two injured at Safdarjung too alleged gunshot injuries, but if anyone would have been shot at, the ambulance would take them to Holy Family or Fortis, which are the closest,” DCP (Southeast) Chinmoy Biswal had said at the time.

Sources have now told The Indian Express that following the December 15 clashes, police personnel from the Southeast district were asked by senior officers whether any of them had fired bullets. All of them said they hadn’t. On December 18, however, a video, purportedly showing two police personnel firing and a third senior officer standing nearby, went viral.

“The Southeast district police identified the personnel as well as the ACP, and it was confirmed that firing had, in fact, taken place,” a source said. The personnel are learnt to have said that they fired in “self-defence” when some protesters turned violent and they found themselves cornered.

Their statements were then recorded in the case diary.

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The two FIRs filed in connection with the violence at Jamia Nagar and New Friends Colony make no mention of police firing.

“The specific case diary is yet to be handed over to the Crime Branch SIT, which took over the investigation on December 16. The SIT is probing 10 cases of rioting following Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik’s directives,” an officer said.

When asked again on Saturday whether bullets were fired by police, DCP Biswal said he could not comment as the investigation was underway.

Meanwhile, all three Jamia students have been discharged from the hospitals, and the SIT is likely to approach them in the coming days to record their statements.

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“Both patients have been discharged after being successfully treated at the hospital. Whatever foreign body was pulled out of their bodies has been sent to Delhi Police. Our role is to just provide basic treatment to the patient,” said Dr Sunil Gupta, medical superintendent, Safdarjung Hospital.

“We had handed over the foreign body for further testing to Delhi Police. They will investigate to find out whether it was a bullet or a teargas shell,” Father George PA, director of Holy Family Hospital, said.