Delhi Police Face Excessive-Force Claims After July 20 CJP Protest Injures Several
Updated
Updated · The Hindu · Aug 6
Delhi Police Face Excessive-Force Claims After July 20 CJP Protest Injures Several
3 articles · Updated · The Hindu · Aug 6
Summary
Several CJP protesters were injured during the July 20 march at Jantar Mantar, with a 20-year-old woman placed on ventilator support and others reporting head, fracture and eye injuries.
Protesters accused Delhi police and security personnel of using lathis, tear gas, pellet guns and shock batons against a peaceful crowd, while authorities denied using many of those devices and offered little transparency on tactics.
Around five protesters reportedly suffered pellet-gun wounds, one risking vision loss, while others alleged nail-studded lathis and canisters fired into trapped crowds—methods experts say can cause burns, respiratory damage, disability or death.
Indian rules allow force to escalate only if crowds turn violent or refuse to disperse, but the report says gaps in standards on device design, authorization and disclosure leave serious injuries hard to scrutinize.
Human-rights and medical experts said the episode underscores wider risks from India’s 'less-lethal' arsenal, urging de-escalation, audits, training and mandatory investigation of serious injuries.