Two injured in pellet firing move SC seeking ban on metallic projectile guns against civilians

Three petitioners on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking a ban on the use of pellet guns to disperse crowds during protests.

Two of the petitioners, Prashant Kumar Singh and Sheikh Irshad Mansoor, were injured by pellets fired by security personnel during the youth protest march to Parliament in Delhi last week. The lead petitioner is former Intelligence Bureau Special Director Yashovardhan Azad.

The agitation in Delhi began on June 6, when the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign began a protest at Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union education minister at the time, over the alleged irregularities in the conduct of competitive exams. Pradhan resigned on Saturday.

On July 20, thousands joined the protest two days after the police forcibly took activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike for three weeks, to hospital. Their march to Parliament was met with a crackdown by the police. Dozens were injured as the police used lathis, fired tear gas shells and pellet guns against the demonstrators.

The police action turbocharged the agitation, which spread to other parts of the country.

On Monday, the two petitioners said that they were injured by metallic pellets fired by the Rapid Action Force at Connaught Place on July 20.

The petitioners contended that no water cannons were used...

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