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New Delhi: Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday (August 18) defended the Delhi Police’s action on protesters in the national capital last month and said that “not a single person died” and the police “should be praised”.

Rijiju’s remarks have come despite the Delhi Police saying in an affidavit in the Supreme Court that 200 protesters have been injured.

While Rijiju has denied the use of an AK-47 rifle in Bihar’s Siwan, in a separate affidavit the Bihar government has told the apex court that the weapon was used on protesters in Siwan but no one was injured. 

Further, Rijiju has said that not a single person suffered a serious injury. However, an RTI response has shown that ten people were injured by pellet guns during the parliament march on July 20.

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 Delhi. 

Despite this, the minister has denied that any shots were fired and instead sought to deflect attention to action under previous Congress governments and said that “thousands died in gunfire” then, while in the youth protests last month not a single person died.

Also read: Delhi Police Denies Use of Excessive Force During Youth Protests

Rijiju’s remarks came in an interview with ANI, where the interviewer asked the minister “Goli toh chali hai (shots have been fired)” but Rijiju hits back immediately to say: “Kaha chali? (where)”. When the interviewer says AK-47 was used, Rijiju then proceeds to explain........

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