‘Why were only 2 injured in a crowd of thousands’:Rijiju denies excessive force at Jantar Mantar, rejects Oppn claims of pellet gun firing

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday denied allegations that security forces used excessive force during the July 20 protest at Jantar Mantar, saying the police did not resort to firing. In an interview with India Today, Rijiju said security forces would naturally attempt to stop protesters if thousands of people marched towards Parliament. He also rejected opposition allegations that pellet guns were used during the protest. Rijiju said the opposition was making “false claims” about firing at Jantar Mantar, arguing that since no firing took place, the question of identifying who fired did not arise. Rijiju questions pellet gun allegations The opposition has alleged that police used excessive force, including pellet guns, to stop protesters during the July 20 Parliament march. Responding to the allegations, Rijiju said that if pellet guns had actually been fired into a gathering of thousands of protesters, the number of injured people would have been much higher. “If pellet guns had been fired in a protest of thousands of people, a large number of people would have been injured. Not just one or two people would have been hurt,” he said. The remarks come after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that two students were injured by pellet gun fire during the protest. One protester was reported to have around 20 pellet-like wounds on his body, with medical records mentioning injuries to his back and elbow. Reports also emerged of another protester suffering a serious eye injury. Rahul Gandhi raised pellet gun allegations twice Rahul Gandhi has publicly alleged pellet gun use on two occasions while highlighting injuries suffered by protesters. On July 24, Gandhi held a press conference at his residence at 10 Janpath with a student who was injured during the protest. Showing the student’s injuries, Gandhi alleged that he had been hit by a pellet gun while peacefully protesting with the national flag. “I want to tell you that my brother standing here was injured by a pellet gun at that time, when he was peacefully protesting with the tricolor,” Gandhi said. On July 29, Gandhi held another press conference and showed the face of a student who he claimed had suffered an eye injury after being hit by a pellet. Gandhi also alleged that shock batons were used against students and claimed that protesters were beaten with sticks fitted with nails. He further alleged that women protesters were slapped by police personnel and that people in plain clothes, whom he described as RSS workers, joined the assault. The allegations have been rejected by the government, with Rijiju maintaining that security forces did not use excessive force or fire pellets during the protest. ​