Story so far: At least one of the 80 protesters injured in police action during the Monday (July 20, 2026) march to Parliament called by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) sustained pellet gun injuries, according to a source at Lady Hardinge Medical College, where the victim is undergoing treatment. While the Delhi Police has denied using pellet guns and said such claims are “false and misleading”, the allegations have been strong against the Rapid Action Force, a specialised rapid reaction wing of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). This prompts questions over the legal framework governing the use of pellet guns and non-lethal weapons for crowd control in India.

The use of ‘non-lethal’ pellet guns was widely criticised during the 2024 farmers’ protests. Though the police denied using pellet guns, farmer leaders had alleged that several people were injured. They were also used in Manipur in 2023 and in Kashmir since 2010.