2 weeks ago
Debate Intensifies Over Whether Police Pellet Guns Should Be Banned
Pellet guns are used by police to control very large or violent crowds.
The pellets can seriously hurt people, especially when fired from close range.
During a recent student protest in New Delhi, five young men were badly injured.
Hospitals said at least 10 people had pellets stuck in their bodies.
In Jammu and Kashmir, pellet firing caused many deaths and thousands of injuries between 2016 and 2017.
Some people lost part or all of their eyesight.
Supporters say police may need pellet guns when crowds create a serious danger to officers or others.
Critics say the weapons should be banned because they cannot safely be called non-lethal.
Other tools, including tear gas and water cannons, have been suggested as alternatives.
Five young men, including a journalist, were seriously injured by pellet guns during a recent students’ protest in New Delhi.
New Delhi hospitals reported treating at least 10 people for pellets embedded mainly in their faces and upper bodies.
Pellet firing in Jammu and Kashmir killed 17 people and injured 6,221 between July 2016 and February 2017, including 728 eye injuries.
A Supreme Court petition seeking a ban was rejected because existing police regulations permit pellet guns in exceptional circumstances.
Experts and critics have urged greater use of alternatives such as tear gas, water cannons, chilli grenades and stink bombs.
- Who
- Police and security forces, protesters, five injured young men including a journalist, medical personnel, and petitioners including former IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad.
- What
- The use of pellet guns for crowd control is being debated after serious injuries during a New Delhi students’ protest and amid calls for a ban.
- Where
- New Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, the Punjab-Haryana border, Manipur and Ladakh.
- When
- During the recent New Delhi students’ protest; wider figures cited cover July 2016 to February 2017, with later uses reported in 2023, 2024 and last year.
- Why
- Pellet guns are used to disperse violent or unruly crowds, but critics argue that the weapons cause severe injuries and should be replaced with other crowd-control methods.
Ban Advocates
Exceptional-Use Defenders
Safety of pellet guns
Ban Advocates
Pellet guns should be banned because they have caused deaths, permanent maiming, severe eye injuries and damage to internal organs; critics say they cannot be considered non-lethal.
Exceptional-Use Defenders
Pellet guns may be used in exceptional circumstances when a violent crowd creates a reasonable fear of serious injury or death, and officers on the ground are best placed to assess the danger.
Use of alternatives
Ban Advocates
Tear gas, water cannons, chilli grenades, stink bombs and other non-lethal tools should replace pellet guns for dispersing crowds.
Exceptional-Use Defenders
Alternative devices also have risks: stun grenades can cause flash blindness, temporary vision loss, deafness and disorientation, while other tools may not always be sufficient in dangerous situations.
Legal and policy response
Ban Advocates
The recent New Delhi injuries should prompt a ban or a detailed review of crowd-control practices, especially near Parliament and other important establishments.
Exceptional-Use Defenders
The Supreme Court stated that anyone seeking to phase out pellet guns must challenge the police regulations permitting their exceptional use; a Rapid Action Force inquiry is also examining the recent deployment.
Key facts
- Recent New Delhi injuries
- Five young men, including a journalist, were seriously injured during a students’ protest.
- Hospital treatments
- At least 10 people were treated in New Delhi hospitals for pellets embedded in their bodies.
- Jammu and Kashmir toll
- Pellet firing killed 17 people and injured 6,221 between July 2016 and February 2017.
- Eye injuries
- Among those injured in Jammu and Kashmir, 728 people suffered eye injuries causing partial or complete loss of vision.
- Supreme Court response
- The court rejected a petition seeking a ban, saying pellet guns are permitted in exceptional circumstances under police regulations.
- Recommended alternatives
- The BPR&D has recommended tear gas shells, stingers, water cannons and stink bombs as crowd-dispersal tools.
Quotes
Supreme Court justice
Judicial decision on pellet gun ban
““Police regulations permit use of pellet guns in exceptional circumstances. If you want phasing out of pellet guns, then you must challenge those regulations which you have not done.””
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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