Updates: Rahul Gandhi says pellet guns used on protesters, accuses Centre of misleading country

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the Centre of misleading the country by denying that security personnel had used pellet guns on protesters during the march to Parliament on Monday.

The Congress leader addressed the media alongside a 19-year-old protester who sustained multiple wounds and lost vision in one eye allegedly after being hit by pellets.

“When this young man was peacefully protesting with the tricoluor of Hindustan in his hands, he was shot with a pellet gun,” Gandhi said. “The government says that pellet guns were not used during the protest, but the truth is right in front of you.”

He alleged that “thousands of such youths” had been hit with pellet guns and lathis while protesting against alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.

On Monday night, the Cockroach Janta Party also claimed that the police had fired pellet guns at the protesters. The Union government classifies pellet gun as a “non-lethal” weapon for crowd control. Its cartridge contains pellets made of rubber or plastic, which can damage sensitive parts like eyes when fired from a short range.

The Delhi Police has denied using pellet guns against the protesters.

Here’s more on this and other updates:

Allegations on use of pellet guns

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