Are pellet guns being used at protests?, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• A protester, Shaikh Irshad Mansoori, sustained pellet gun injuries during a march to Parliament on July 20, called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
• This incident marks the apparent first use of pellet guns and shock batons against civilian protesters in Delhi.
• The Delhi Police denied using pellet guns, but the Rapid Action Force (RAF), an anti-riot unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), was deployed and is equipped with these devices.
• Pellet guns, technically known as 'pump action guns', are designed as a non-lethal crowd-control method but can be lethal at close range.

Detailed Insights:

• Shaikh Irshad Mansoori, from Gurugram, underwent surgery to remove pellets lodged under his eye and in other parts of his upper body.
• Pellet guns contain hundreds of lead pellets, manufactured at the Ordinance Factory, Ishapore, which disperse upon firing.
• Standing instructions for using pellet guns include minimal firing and aiming below the waist, but injuries in this incident were primarily to the upper body.
• Pellet guns were first deployed in Jammu and Kashmir after the 2010 unrest and extensively used during the 2016 protests following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Burhan Wani.
• In 2017, less lethal "plastic bullets" were introduced in Kashmir Valley as an alternative, tested at the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) in Chandigarh.
• Recent uses of pellet guns include the 2024 farmers' protest at the Punjab-Haryana border and against protesters in Manipur in 2023.
• Shock batons are also part of RAF personnel gear, with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) prescribing Qualitative Requirements (QRs) for them in 2021 through the Border Security Force (BSF).

Key Concepts Involved:

• Pellet Guns: Non-lethal crowd-control weapons firing multiple small projectiles, effective at short ranges but potentially lethal at close quarters.
• Shock Batons: Handheld devices used for self-defense and operational use by security personnel, designed to deliver electric shocks.
• Non-lethal Weapons: Tools intended to incapacitate individuals or groups without causing permanent injury or death, used for crowd control.
• Crowd Control: Measures taken by law enforcement or military to manage large gatherings, prevent disorder, or disperse unruly crowds.