Delhi Police authorised pellet gun use against protestors on July 20: RAF general diary entry

On July 20, Delhi Police authorized the use of pellet guns by the Rapid Action Force (RAF) against unarmed protestors during a march to Parliament. This marked the first instance of such an incident in the national capital. A general diary entry filed at Parliament Street police station revealed that the RAF fired two rounds from an anti-riot gun under the direction of a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) rank officer.

The entry highlighted "serious deficiencies" in RAF behavior during the protest, violating its principle of "sensitive policing." The entry stated that the RAF Deputy Commandant fired "55 rounds of non-electrical shell, 15 rounds of electrical shell, five tear smoke granite, two rounds using ballistic cartridges with plastic pellets from an anti-riot gun" to control the crowd.

At least 10 people were injured by pellets on July 20, with one of them, a 19-year-old named Sahil Lochab, risking vision loss in his right eye due to a pellet injury. The RAF, a part of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), was under the operational control of the Delhi Police at the time of the incident. Following the incident, the RAF withdrew various crowd-control equipment from personnel deployed at Jantar Mantar.

An RAF Inspector General reviewed the incident and directed that the use of force must be judicious, fair, restrained, and sensitive, emphasizing the RAF's core principle of "sensitive policing." The review also noted that some videos showed RAF personnel using unnecessary force on separated crowd members, which was contrary to the established work culture and image of the RAF.