A high-level meeting at the Delhi Police headquarters on Tuesday focused on glaring discrepancies surrounding the alleged use of plastic pellets during the July 20 paper leak protest from Jantar Mantar, after an official police diary entry revealed that the Rapid Action Force (RAF) fired pellet rounds on the directions of a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). The disclosure appears to contradict the Delhi Police's consistent public stance that no pellet guns were used against protesters.
The controversy has also thrown up another key inconsistency. While the RAF officer's account, recorded in the police diary, attributes the order to the North Delhi DCP, senior Delhi Police officers now maintain that the North Delhi DCP was not deployed on the Jantar Mantar route that day.
The conflicting accounts, coupled with the delayed recording of the incident, prompted Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar to convene a meeting with DCPs from several districts and senior officers to review both the law and order situation and the emerging contradictions.
Official records reveal firing of plastic pellets
The controversy stems from a diary entry made at Parliament Street police station on July 22 at 1:24 pm, two days after the July 20 "Sansad Chalo" march over the alleged NEET paper leak.
The entry was based on information provided by a Deputy Commandant-rank RAF officer, who stated that RAF personnel deployed in Zone 1 at Jantar Mantar were instructed by a Delhi Police DCP to use anti-riot munitions to control the crowd.
According to the diary entry, the RAF fired 55 non-electrical shells, 15 electrical shells, five tear smoke grenades, two rounds from anti-riot guns and two rounds of plastic pellets during the operation.
Questions over timeline and DCP's identity
The surfaced diary entry has raised two major questions.
First, why was the July 20 incident formally recorded only on July 22?
Second, why did the RAF officer identify the North Delhi DCP as the officer who authorised the use of force when Delhi Police officers now insist that the North DCP was assigned to a different route and was not deployed at the protest site?
These discrepancies have become a key focus of the internal discussions within the Delhi Police.
Delhi Police's public denial contradicted
Since the day of the protest, the Delhi Police has maintained that allegations of pellet gun use against peaceful protesters were "false and misleading."
However, the newly surfaced DD entry appears to officially document the firing of two rounds of plastic pellets during the crowd-control operation, creating an apparent contradiction between the force's public statements and its internal records.
Officials clarified that the ammunition used comprised plastic pellets, with each round containing four plastic projectiles. They said these differ from conventional metal pellets and are designed to be non-lethal.
The CRPF and the RAF have not publicly commented on the specific issue of plastic pellet firing.
Political storm over pellet gun use
The issue has escalated into a political flashpoint, with Opposition parties demanding an explanation from Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament over the police action against students.
Several protesters reportedly suffered injuries during the clashes, while police, RAF and CRPF personnel were also injured during the violence.
Meanwhile, CRPF Director General GP Singh has said the force will conduct a professional post-event assessment of the July 20 operation. He also assured personnel that the force headquarters would take full responsibility for decisions taken by officers and jawans in the bona fide discharge of their duties.
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