An official police record has revealed that the Rapid Action Force (RAF) fired multiple rounds of non-lethal munitions, including two rounds of plastic pellets, while dispersing protesters during the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' march over the NEET paper leak near Jantar Mantar.
According to a general diary entry made at the Parliament Street police station on July 22 at 1:24 pm, the action was reported by a Deputy Commandant of the RAF, who was deployed in Zone 1 of the Jantar Mantar area alongside a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP)-rank officer of the Delhi Police, officials said on Monday.
Acting on the directions of the DCP, the RAF fired 55 non-electrical shells, 15 electrical shells, five tear smoke grenades, two rounds from anti-riot guns and two rounds of plastic pellets during the operation, officials said, citing the police station record.
Officials clarified that each round of the non-lethal plastic pellets contains four pieces and differs from metal pellets that can pierce the body.
They said the plastic pellets are designed to cause minimal harm.
The disclosure comes amid a political row over the police response to the protest, with Opposition parties demanding a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament over the reported use of force.
There have been two to three reports of protesters suffering grievous pellet injuries during the march, which was organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to demand the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy.
Pradhan resigned on Saturday, following which the month-long CJP protest was called off.
Several personnel from the Delhi Police, RAF and CRPF were also injured during the clashes.
The Delhi Police has maintained that the claims of use of pellets against "peaceful protestors " were completely false and misleading".
The CRPF and the RAF have not issued an official response on the matter so far.
"Now, since agitation has been called off, and assembled people have dispersed, we would make a professional post-event assessment, like we do after every major assignment, and then let you know the view of the Force Hq (headquarters)," CRPF Director General (DG) G P Singh has said.
(With inputs from PTI)