New Delhi: An internal General Diary entry from the Parliament Street Police Station has formally documented that the Rapid Action Force used pellet guns on the direct authorization of a senior Delhi Police officer during demonstrations at Jantar Mantar. The official log, recorded at 1:24 AM on July 20, states that a Deputy Commissioner of Police overseeing Zone 1 ordered the specialized unit to deploy anti-riot weaponry against individuals participating in the student movement organized by the Cockroach Janata Party.
According to the official administrative documentation, security personnel discharged fifty-five non-electrical shells, fifteen electrical shells, five tear gas grenades, and two rounds of plastic pellets using ballistic cartridges from an anti-riot gun. While a General Diary entry functions as an operational record of police movements and command decisions rather than a formal criminal complaint, the document serves as the first official confirmation from law enforcement that kinetic pellet projectiles were fired during the operation in central Delhi.
The revelation follows a recent internal directive by the Rapid Action Force, a specialized wing of the Central Reserve Police Force, suspending the operational use of pellet guns pending further review. Legal commentators and human rights observers have frequently noted that kinetic projectile weapons face severe restrictions under international law enforcement standards due to their non-selective impact area. The official logging of the command decision is expected to feature prominently in ongoing judicial reviews before the Supreme Court regarding the proportionality of force used during the examination reform demonstrations.
