Indian forces on 20 July attacked student protesters and journalists in the capital, New Delhi, with pump-action “pellet guns” that fire hundreds of metal sharpnels, hospital reports show.
The protesters gathered in central Delhi's Jantar Mantar had been demanding educational reforms and the resignation of the education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan.
Several rights organisations have called for investigations into the use of “excessive force” against the protesters.
Human Rights Watch said that Delhi police and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) attacked protesters with "electric shock batons, tear gas and stones, and implemented internet blackouts to restrict communication".
Medical records from Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi showed wounds “consistent with pellets striking” on the body of a journalist who was admitted to the hospital after Monday’s crackdown and examined by three of the hospital’s departments, local media reported.
