Pellet guns, internet shutdown, assaults on journalists: Groups slam Delhi police

By A Representative 

Multiple civil society organisations, lawyers' bodies, religious groups, feminist collectives and rights groups have issued strongly worded statements condemning the police crackdown on student protesters at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, even as concerns mount over press freedom, custodial violence and the safety of demonstrators demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The Press Club of India, in a statement dated 23 July, condemned attacks on journalists covering the protests, noting that violence had come both from those gathered at the protest site and from police and security forces, with some journalists assaulted despite showing press identification. The Club flagged with particular concern a report by Outlook Magazine that one of its journalists was hit by a weapon resembling a pellet gun and suffered serious injuries to his arm, adding that at least three other pellet-like injuries had been reported. It said that since Delhi Police had denied using such weapons, other security forces present must clarify whether they had done so. The Club also criticised sensationalised reporting for worsening volatile situations and endangering field reporters, and called on the government to restore mobile internet services in the Jantar Mantar area, which it said had remained suspended for four consecutive days.

The Indian Association of Lawyers, in a resolution issued the same day, expressed shock at what it called a brutal and inhuman attack by Delhi Police on 20 July on non-violent protesters, describing the response as grossly disproportionate. The Association said the use of non-government actors, including individuals in civilian clothes, alongside the apparent removal of name plates by police and Railway Protection Force personnel, pointed to what it termed the emergence of an undemocratic and totalitarian state apparatus. National General Secretary Muralidhara said the Association supported the protesters and demanded a fair, impartial judicial inquiry into the police action.

The Conference of Religious India, representing a large network of Catholic religious congregations that run educational institutions across the country, condemned the 20 July attack on students during what it described as a peaceful march towards Parliament, saying lathi charges and tear gas had left many hospitalised. The statement noted that students have been protesting since mid-June over the cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) in early May following a paper leak, and that environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk and other students have been on an indefinite fast since 28 June. The Conference invoked Gandhi's doctrines of ahimsa and satyagraha and called for an independent inquiry, dialogue with protest leaders, reforms to ensure a credible and corruption-free examination system, and adequate healthcare for the fasting students.

A joint statement issued from New Delhi and signed by over 950 feminists, actors, academics and civil society members, coordinated in part by Saheli Women's Resource Centre, condemned what it called continuing police brutality and demanded moral accountability from the government. The statement linked the anger on the streets to years of delayed examinations, paper leaks, cancelled recruitment drives and unfilled vacancies. It raised grave concern over reports of police personnel physically assaulting protesters and subjecting young women to sexualised violence, and called for an independent, time-bound inquiry holding accountable personnel, commanding officers and the political authorities who ordered the use of force. The statement also highlighted acts of mutual care among protesters, including sharing food and medicine and tending to the injured, and noted that some protesters had offered water to police personnel deployed against them. Signatories, including Ratna Pathak Shah, Prakash Raj and several academics and rights defenders, demanded the release of detained protesters, compensation for affected students, and the resignation of the Education Minister, the Home Minister and the Prime Minister.

The National Federation of Youth Movement said it has filed a formal complaint before the National Human Rights Commission seeking an independent, time-bound probe into the alleged police brutality, citing allegations of pellet gun use, electroshock batons, unlawful detention and misconduct against women protesters. The organisation said journalists, teachers, parents and medical volunteers at the site were also allegedly subjected to intimidation and assault, and pointed to reports that police personnel lacked visible identification while some accompanying individuals wore civilian clothing. NFYM has sought preservation of CCTV and body-camera footage, medical records and other evidence, along with recorded statements from those affected, and has asked the Commission to recommend departmental and criminal action, compensation and psychological support for victims.

The Indian American Muslim Council, in a statement issued from Washington, DC, condemned the crackdown on protesters who had marched under the "Chalo Sansad" banner on the opening day of the Monsoon Session, saying Delhi Police, which reports to the Union Home Ministry, had used baton charges, tear gas and pellet guns against unarmed demonstrators. It said authorities had imposed an internet shutdown within a five-kilometre radius of the protest site, closed five metro stations and detained hundreds of people. IAMC President Mohammed Jawad said the government's response reflected an authoritarian approach to dissent, and the organisation called for the release of detained protesters, an end to the use of force, and the resignation of the Education Minister, while urging the US State Department to raise the issue with Indian counterparts.