New Delhi [India], July 28 (ANI): Retired IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad, along with two other individuals who are alleged to have sustained pellet gun injuries during the recent protest during the march to Parliament over the NEET paper leak, have approached the Supreme Court.
They sought a direction to phase out or prohibit the use of metallic or partially metallic kinetic projectiles fired from pump-action rifles and projectile-action guns (PAGs) for dispersing civilian crowds during law enforcement operations.
Azad, Prashant Kumar and Sheikh Irshad Mansoori also sought exemplary compensation for all those who suffered pellet injuries during the July 20 police action.
The petition also sought directions to ensure comprehensive medical treatment, long-term care, and rehabilitation for the victims.
The petition stated that 25-year-old artist Kumar was participating in the July 20 “Sansad Chalo” march as a peaceful protester when he allegedly sustained pellet injuries after Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel opened fire without any provocation or aggressive conduct on his part.
It further said that 26-year-old Mansoori was in Connaught Place on passport and visa-related work when he too was allegedly hit by pellets fired by RAF personnel, despite not engaging in any provocative or aggressive behaviour.
The petitioners contend that the erratic and unpredictable trajectory of pellets after they are fired makes pellet guns an inherently unsafe, arbitrary, and disproportionate means of crowd control, rendering them unsuitable for use against civilian gatherings.
“The very mechanism of the pellets disqualifies them from being a legally valid option for crowd control, as it cannot be qualitatively stated to fall within the ‘least amount of necessary force’ at any given point of time, in view of its erratic kinetic projectile movement,” the petition stated.
Several pleas were also filed alleging excessive police action against students who participated in protests at Jantar Mantar and other places across the country over examination paper leaks.
The July 20 Parliament march, organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) after weeks of protests and a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, drew thousands of students who attempted to march towards Parliament demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination paper leaks and broader reforms to the examination system.
As demonstrators attempted to breach several police barricades in central Delhi while marching towards Parliament, security personnel used tear gas shells and carried out a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.
Several videos shared on social media purportedly showed protesters being manhandled by police.
The Delhi Police, however, defended its action, stating that force was used only after sections of the crowd turned violent and allegedly engaged in stone-pelting. (ANI)
Related reading
