As the opposition continues to seek answers from Union home minister Amit Shah regarding the security crackdown on student protestors, Minister of State Jitendra Singh on Wednesday stated that no “bullets” were fired towards protesters during the Cockroach Janta Party’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ march on July 20.
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Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, Jitendra Singh dismissed Lok Sabha leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s claim of “firing” on students, stating that only tear gas shells were used.
Singh, who was also one of the key negotiators with the Cockroach Janta Party, countered Gandhi’s claim that the home minister had ordered security forces to fire.
“The first and fundamental point is he should know that when no bullets were fired in the first place, the question of giving an order does not arise at all. (Jab goli chali hee nahi, toh aadesh dena ka sawal hee paida nai hota),” Singh said, adding that only tear gas was used and that any order for the police was issued by the magistrate, not ministers. It was not clear if he also meant no pellets or plastic bullets were fired, or if he was talking only of conventional “goli” or bullets.
Singh’s statement comes after Rahul Gandhi and several other Opposition leaders claimed that the Rapid Action Force personnel had used pellet guns against students during the July 20 march.
Speaking at a press conference later in the days too, Gandhi called for the resignation of home minister Amit Shah and demanded accountability from the BJP-led government.
“Pellet gun is a lethal weapon, at close range can kill or blind a person. I have spoken to a pellet gun victim and even presented the evidence before the media. The AIIMS report also stated patient has been shot by pellet guns. So I ask, who fired these guns and based on whose order?” said Rahul, adding that there were multiple victims of the pellet firing.
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In a fresh ‘fact check’, meanwhile, the Delhi Police stated that the claims online about a protester sustaining gunshot injuries were not corroborated by MLC findings.
“MLC (Medicao Legal Report) records a lacerated wound in front of the right tragus, with the nature of injury described as blunt. As per doctor’s opinion, it is simple injury and there is no evidence of gunshot injury. Therefore, the claim of gunshot injury is not supported by the medical findings on the MLC,” the police wrote on X.
This is not the first such announcement from Delhi Police. A similar notice was issued on July 21, a day after the crackdown on protestors, where officials stated that no pellet guns were used and any claim which suggests the same is false. Furthermore, said a senior officer at Delhi Police headquarters also told HT earlier that while pellet guns were carried, they were not used.
Multiple investigations by media, including HT, found that pellet guns were issued as part of the security crackdown on July 20.
Officials aware of the matter told HT that at least a dozen RAF personnel were issued pellet guns to handle student protestors in Central Delhi. At least five people have alleged that they were struck by pellets on July 20.
Furthermore, HT learnt that an entry in the general daily diary (DD) at New Delhi’s Parliament Street Police Station confirmed the use of pellet guns during the Parliament march. First reported by The Hindu and later accessed by HT as well, the entry noted that at least two rounds of pellet firing were ordered. No comment was provided from the deputy police commissioner (DCP) on duty, nor from the CRPF.
Patient reports seen by HT also reveal that many protestors were struck by pellets during the march. “Multiple pellet injuries to the right upper limb, chest and inguinal region,” read the discharge paper of Prashant, a 25-year-old Bihar resident, who was rushed to Lady Hardinge Hospital for his injuries. “When those pellet-like things hit my hand, I thought I was going to lose my arm forever. I could not feel it for hours,” Prashant told HT.
