CJP protest: ‘You approved the use of firearms,’ Rahul Gandhi asks Amit Shah in letter | Today’s news
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah asking him whether he approved the use of firearms during the Cococroach Janata Party (CJP) ‘Sansad Chalo’ march on 20
Gandhi questioned Shah over the “barbaric attack on students peacefully protesting in Delhi on July 20, 2026”.
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A letter sent by Gandhi to X read: “Our students demanded a fair and accountable education system. Instead of being heard, the security forces attacked them with indiscriminate force, including lethal weapons and tear gas.”
He noted: “Hundreds of people have suffered serious injuries. Female students have been assaulted by police officers, including by deliberately targeting their private parts.”
Gandhi said, “The most shocking thing was the use of deadly firearms. Reports in the media and social media clearly show people who have sustained serious injuries, including a journalist.”
In his letter, Rahul Gandhi asked Amit Shah two questions and said, “The security forces deployed in Delhi ultimately answer to you, so I ask:
1. Did you, as Home Secretary, authorize the use of deadly force, including firearms, against students? If not, who did?
2. Are people in plain clothes seen beating students with lathis by police personnel or volunteers? Who authorized their deployment?
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Concluding his letter, Ganchi said, “Peaceful protest is essential to any democracy. It is the government’s responsibility to protect protesters and address their grievances through dialogue.”
“Such brutal violence destroys every norm and has outraged the country. The youth and students, the future of our country, demand answers and accountability. Their voices will be heard,” Gandhi added.
Were firearms used during the July 20th protest?
While police deny firing machine guns at peaceful protesters, photos, videos and accounts of those suffering tell a different story.
A pellet gun is a type of air gun or specialized shotgun used for sport, pest control, or crowd control. Fires small metal or lead projectiles using compressed air, gas, or a spring, rather than gunpowder.
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According to reports, machine guns and stun batons were part of the equipment of the RAF, the anti-riot unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which was deployed alongside the Delhi Police on July 20 in and around Jantar Mantar.
An Outlook journalist also claimed to have been hit by what he believed to be a pellet-launching weapon while covering the ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest in Delhi. His medical records documented pellet injuries.
Nineteen-year-old Sahil Lochab, a student at Delhi University’s School of Open Learning, had “pellet injuries” on the right side of his body. According to The Indian Express, he is now at risk of losing his eyesight.
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Earlier, The Hindu reported that Shaikh Irshad Mansoori (25) sustained pellet injuries. this appears to be the first known instance of security forces using firearms on civilians in Delhi.
The Delhi Police denied the reports and posted on X saying, “Allegations that the Delhi Police used firearms against peaceful protesters yesterday are completely false and misleading.”
“The Delhi Police neither have firearms nor are they using them in the ongoing protests. The public is requested not to share or spread any unverified or misleading information,” X’s post added.
