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New Delhi: While multiple instances of pellet gun injuries have emerged following the police and Rapid Action Force crackdown on peaceful protesters in Delhi on July 20, and a viral video of a policeman in Bihar’s Siwan firing an AK-47 rifle subsequently led to his suspension, the Union government has continued to maintain that “koi goli chali nahi” i.e. that no bullets were fired on youth protesters last month.

Despite ample physical evidence in the form of victim testimonies, hospital records, Right to Information (RTI) responses, police diaries and a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) inquiry, two Union ministers – minister of state (MoS) PMO Jitendra Singh in parliament, and health minister J.P. Nadda at a press conference – have separately made the claim that no shots were fired. This has raised questions about whether the government is simply hiding behind semantics – using “goli” or shots as a stand-in for live ammunition even though the terms have previously been used to describe firing by pellet guns.

In fact, earlier responses by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in parliament show that the government has not contradicted the use of the term ‘firing’ while referring to pellet gun use. It has also used the word pellet or rubber bullets while referring to pellet guns and while the CRPF itself has used the word “firing” while referring to the weapon in a court filing.

An RTI response has shown that 10 people were injured by pellet guns during the parliament march on July 20. In Bihar’s Siwan, a departmental inquiry has been ordered against a policeman seen firing an AK-47 rifle during protests there. While the Delhi Police has denied the use of pellet guns, an inquiry initiated by the CRPF on July 24 revealed that an Rapid Action Force (RAF) jawan deployed at Connaught Place on July 20 during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led “Chalo Sansad” march, fired at least seven rounds from his pellet gun, five of which hit peaceful protesters, The Indian Express reported.

Prior to this, The Wire had earlier confirmed the use of pellet guns against unarmed protesters in a report. Following the protest in Delhi, hospital records and victim accounts showed serious injuries have been reported including of 25-year-old Irshad Sheikh, 19-year-old Delhi University student Sahil Lochab and a 28-year-old journalist who works with Outlook magazine. Separately, a 32-year-old woman named Nutan also sustained gunshot injuries in........

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