Archive · 31 Aug 2026
CRPF Rejects RTI Details on Pellet Gun Use
Students marched in Delhi on July 20 over alleged problems with competitive examinations.
Security forces used methods such as lathis and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Some people said pellet guns were also used, but police denied firing them.
Hospital records showed that people were treated for pellet injuries.
Saket Gokhale asked the CRPF for records showing what ammunition was used.
The CRPF refused, saying the information involved operational and security matters.
It also said the request did not qualify as a human-rights-violation matter under the RTI law.
Gokhale disagreed and said he would take the response to the Supreme Court.
The CRPF declined to provide ammunition logs and deployment details concerning alleged pellet-gun use during Delhi protests on July 20.
The force said the request involved operational and security matters and did not qualify for the RTI Act’s human-rights-violation exception.
Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale argued that firing pellet guns at unarmed protesters constituted an alleged human rights violation.
Police denied using pellet guns, while hospital records cited in RTI replies documented pellet injuries among protesters.
The CRPF ordered an inquiry, and Delhi Police later registered an FIR following a complaint from injured student Sahil Lochav.
- Who
- The Central Reserve Police Force, Rapid Action Force personnel, protesters, and Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale are central to the dispute.
- What
- The CRPF refused to disclose ammunition logs and deployment records related to alleged pellet-gun use during a July 20 protest.
- When
- The protest occurred on July 20; Gokhale shared the CRPF response on August 31, 2026, according to the article.
- Where
- The protest took place in central Delhi during a march toward Parliament, including the Jantar Mantar area.
- Why
- The CRPF cited operational and security concerns and said the request did not involve a human-rights violation; Gokhale said the information should qualify for the RTI exception.
Gokhale and Critics
CRPF Position
Whether pellet-gun use was a human-rights violation
Gokhale and Critics
Saket Gokhale said firing pellet guns at unarmed protesters was an alleged human-rights violation and criticized the CRPF’s refusal as shocking.
CRPF Position
The CRPF said the allegations did not attract the RTI Act exception relating to human-rights violations.
Why the information was withheld
Gokhale and Critics
Gokhale argued that the human-rights exception should require disclosure of ammunition and deployment details.
CRPF Position
The CRPF said the requested records concerned operational and security-related matters.
Whether pellet guns were used
Gokhale and Critics
Gokhale cited hospital records documenting pellet injuries and referred to reports that RAF personnel fired pellet rounds; he said the issue warranted judicial review.
CRPF Position
Police denied firing pellet guns, while the CRPF set up an inquiry into whether its Rapid Action Force personnel used them.
- Protest date
- July 20
- Location
- Central Delhi, including the Jantar Mantar area
- Information requested
- Certified ammunition logs and muster records showing ammunition drawn, expended, and fired
- CRPF response
- The allegations did not qualify for the RTI Act exception covering human-rights violations
- Hospital records
- Nine people were reported with pellet injuries at Lady Hardinge Hospital and one at Safdarjung Hospital
- Police position
- Police denied firing pellet guns during the agitation
- Legal development
- Delhi Police filed an FIR after student Sahil Lochav complained of pellet-gun injuries
