What happened
A protest march to Parliament in Delhi on 20 July 2026 revived debate over crowd-control weapons after one injured protester, identified as Shaikh Irshad Mansoori, was reported to have pellet injuries and surgery to remove pellets near the eye area. The Delhi Police denied using pellet guns against protesters, but the incident again placed pellet guns and other police crowd-control equipment under scrutiny.
Background and earlier position
Pellet guns are pump-action crowd-control weapons that fire multiple small projectiles. The weapon is controversial because pellets can lodge in sensitive parts of the body and cause serious injury, including eye damage, especially at close range.
The Rapid Action Force (RAF), the anti-riot unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), carries pellet guns and shock batons as part of its equipment. Police agencies in other protest episodes also faced allegations of using pellet guns during the 2024 farmers’ protest at the Khanauri and Shambhu border points, and during protests in Manipur in 2023.
Related current affairs
- Protester suffers injuries from pellet guns; shock batons used
- At least 10 people injured by pellets on July 20: RTI replies
- Police rules allow pellet gun use, cap on hawk (crowd control) and other actions
- Pellet guns part of graded police response, says SC
- After Cong. stir, FIR over pellet gun use registered
- Protester hit by pellets could lose vision in right eye: family