The Cockroach Janta Party on Monday alleged that the police had fired pellet guns at protesters during the campaign’s demonstrations in Delhi.The Union government classifies pellet guns 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. Pellet guns have been widely used in Jammu and Kashmir as a means of crowd control during protests.The Delhi Police claimed that the protesters “resorted to large-scale violence” and vandalised public property.Meanwhile, the campaign resumed its demonstration at the Jantar Mantar protest site on Monday evening to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for the alleged mismanagement of competitive examinations. The police had cleared the area during the day and dismantled the stage from where organisers had been addressing the crowd.Here’s more on this and other updates:Protesters, police personnel injuredSaurav Das, a spokesperson of the campaign, shared videos of two persons on social media who were injured allegedly in the police action against protesters on Monday. “Alarming goondaism by the Delhi Police!” wrote Das. “They have used pellet guns against peaceful protesters!”The alleged action came during the campaign’s march to Parliament on Monday, coinciding with the start of the Monsoon Session. While police had stopped the protest leaders from proceeding, some demonstrators moved closer to Parliament and gathered at other locations in central Delhi. Security personnel fired tear gas shells at the protesters and lathi-charged them, Scroll reported.The police stated that 60 protesters were injured during the day. One of the injured protesters is in a critical condition, said Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke. “Why did the government unleash such brutal force against the youth?” he asked on social media.The police claimed that 118 security personnel had been injured after the “protesters displayed unruly, aggressive and violent behaviour”. It alleged that the protesters attacked them with stones and vandalised government vehicles.A girl is in critical condition at RML after being injured during the brutal lathi-charge. Why did the govt unleash such brutal force against the youth? https://t.co/Kr8NbTDCaH— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) July 20, 2026
Updates: CJP alleges police fired pellet guns at protesters, demonstration resumes at Jantar Mantar
Seventy persons were detained for rioting, assault on public servants, damage to property and ‘other offences’, said the police.











