On July 20, the Cockroach Janata Party's march to Parliament from Delhi's Jantar Mantar turned violent, with Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel baton-charging protesters and firing tear gas shells.
More than 80 protesters were injured in the process and were admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
Among them, viral images emerged on social media showing pellet-like injuries on the body of a protester, 25-year-old Sheikh Irshad Mansuri.
Delhi Police's claim: no pellet guns used
Delhi Police denied this, stating, "Claims of pellet guns being used against peaceful protesters by Delhi Police on Monday are completely false and misleading. Delhi Police neither possesses pellet guns nor were they used during the ongoing protest. The public is requested not to share or circulate any unverified or misleading information."
BOOM spoke to Irshad Mansuri, who remains under treatment in the ENT ward at Lady Hardinge Medical College, who told us that he was part of the July 20 protest and that an RAF personnel fired at him with what appeared to be a pellet gun. He said several pellet particles had lodged in his face and the upper part of his body, causing severe injuries.
What the injured Irshad Mansuri told BOOM
Mansuri, who hails from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, said he reached Jantar Mantar on Monday at 9 AM, the scheduled time for the march to the Parliament.
He remained near Kerala Bhawan from 9 AM to 11 AM, after which he left to attend to passport-related work. After finishing that work, he began heading back towards the protest site after 3:30 PM.
"First I reached Connaught Place (Inner Circle), from where the road leads to Jantar Mantar. I headed from there on foot. That's when I saw protesters returning due to baton-charging from the police. Seeing this, I too started slowly retreating," Mansuri noted.
Owing to stitches in his throat, he was unable to speak clearly.
Sheikh Irshad Mansuri (25) at Lady Hardinge Medical College
Speaking in a low voice, he said, "During this, police released tear gas shells, which caused a sharp burning sensation in my eyes and skin. I kept retreating and gradually reached the main part of Connaught Place. Roads branch off in different directions there, and police and RAF personnel were stationed at that very spot. A large number of people had gathered there."
"That's when I saw an RAF personnel in blue uniform holding a weapon. He pointed the barrel of the gun towards my face and suddenly fired. Pellets from the weapon struck near my left eyebrow, and several particles lodged in different parts of my face. I sustained several deep wounds on my face, neck, under my chin, and on my shoulder, and began bleeding."
Recalling the moment, Mansuri added, "People present there tried to stop the bleeding with cloth and took me on a scooter to the emergency ward of Lady Hardinge Hospital, where I was admitted. Scans and other tests were conducted to locate the pellet particles lodged inside my body."
Pellet particles had lodged deep in three parts of Mansuri's body.
"The most serious injury was in the neck. A second pellet lodged in the muscles of my right eye, which temporarily stopped my eye's movement. A third pellet got stuck near the nose," he said. "Following this, doctors began my surgery on Tuesday."
Union Minister's Visit
Union Minister of Health J.P. Nadda met Mansuri on Tuesday.
"He asked me how I came to be there, and whether I was present by coincidence," he said, recalling his conversation with the minister. "I told him I was part of the protest. I had gone there in support of my younger brothers and sisters, who were protesting peacefully for their demands, but police turned violent."
Nadda reassured him, saying there was nothing to worry about and that everything would be fine.
"He told me he had spoken to the doctors and was aware of my injuries. He also said that some pellet particles had lodged in my face, and that these are being treated," Mansuri added.
Mansuri told BOOM the hospital administration and medical staff were taking good care of him.
He has been working as an account manager at a company in Gurugram for the past two years. "Right now, my biggest concern," he said, "is that my face and body heal completely and that I can return to normal life as soon as possible."
Irshad's friend, present at the hospital, said that he is stable compared to before, though doctors have not shared his medical report.
What Are Pellet Guns?
Pellet guns are typically 12-bore pump-action shotguns that fire cartridges loaded with multiple pellets. Indian security forces classify them as less-lethal or non-lethal crowd-control equipment.
They form part of the standard equipment of specialised riot-control units such as the Rapid Action Force (RAF), which operates under the CRPF. However, their use has remained controversial. Questions were previously raised over the use of pellet guns in Jammu and Kashmir and during the 2024 farmers' protest.