What happened (policy debate on pellet gun permission)
A The Hindu opinion column discussed police permissions related to pellet gun use and connected the debate to policy design and rights concerns. The provided excerpt does not include the full argument, so the excerpt does not supply verifiable details such as the approving authority, the scope of permission, or any specific conditions attached to pellet gun use.
Background and earlier position (why pellet gun permission is a governance issue)
Pellet guns are commonly discussed as “less-lethal” weapons used by police for crowd management or to disperse people. For UPSC, “less-lethal” does not mean “no constitutional or human-rights limits.” Governments must regulate such weapons with clear legal authority, strict rules about when the weapon may be used, and accountability for misuse to ensure proportionality — using force only when necessary and only to the extent required.
What changed now (limited change visible from the excerpt)
The excerpt indicates that the pellet gun permission debate continues in public discourse, including separate opinion coverage. The excerpt, however, provides no concrete new policy facts such as amendments, updated training requirements, or specific restrictions on deployment.