The report is based on 47 witness interviews, medical records from three hospitals in Delhi and Patna, and independently geolocated and verified photos and videos
NEW DELHI — Police personnel used excessive and unlawful force, including pellet-firing shotguns, stun grenades and electric shock devices, against youths protesting the alleged leak of NEET entrance examination papers, Amnesty International has said.
In a 32-page report released here on Monday, the rights group said its investigation was based on 47 witness interviews, medical records from three hospitals in Delhi and Patna, and 112 photos and videos that were independently geolocated and verified.
Amnesty alleged that between July 18 and July 26, Delhi Police and Bihar Police deployed 12-gauge pellet-firing shotguns typically used for crowd control in Jammu and Kashmir. The cops used tear-gas shells, chilli grenades and stun grenades and lathis/batons. The police force also used handheld electric shock devices and electric batons.
“Despite evidence, the Indian authorities have made no public commitment to investigate or prosecute any officer involved. We call on Indian authorities to order a prompt, impartial and effective investigation into the use of firearms, birdshot ammunition, tear gas, lathis and electric shock weapons against protesters in Delhi and Siwan, and to publish its findings,” said Aakar Patel, chair of the Board of Amnesty International in India.
“The deployment and use of birdshot ammunition and direct contact electric shock devices must also end immediately,” he said.
The protests, led by the nascent Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), began in late June after allegations of irregularities and paper leaks surrounding the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG), the national medical entrance examination. The agitation later expanded into a wider youth movement over unemployment, exam reforms and limited opportunities.
Violence broke out in the national capital on July 20 when an estimated 8,000-10,000 protesters attempted to march towards Parliament as part of a call for a ‘Sansad Chalo’.
Amnesty said it found evidence that a section of protesters threw stones and broke barricades near Jantar Mantar and Parliament Street, injuring at least 19 police personnel according to police logs. However, the organisation argued that the police response “went far beyond what was necessary to control the crowds and amounted to punitive action.”
“The weapons were deployed in a manner that breached international law and standards and domestic policing guidelines on the use of force,” Amnesty said in its statement. “The response was state-sanctioned violence masked as crowd control.”
The report also said it had verified two incidents on July 22 in Bihar’s Siwan district in which a police officer allegedly fired a service weapon toward a crowd of CJP supporters blocking a highway. Amnesty said no deaths were reported in those incidents, but at least two protesters sustained pellet injuries requiring treatment.
Police Dispute Claims
The Delhi Police have rejected the suggestion that excessive force was used.
During a Supreme Court hearing last week, police submitted that force was used only after repeated warnings and after protesters became violent and attempted to breach high-security zones.
According to police, some “anti-social elements” had joined the demonstrations while presenting themselves as students and caused serious injuries to security personnel and damage to public property. Police said 34 protesters were also injured in the clashes.
Supreme Court Orders Inquiry
The Amnesty report comes days after the Supreme Court on August 14 set up a three-member panel headed by a retired High Court judge to investigate violence involving both protesters and police during the July demonstrations.
The panel has been asked to examine video footage from both sides, medical evidence and to submit a report within six weeks. The issue is currently sub judice.
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also raised the issue on Friday when he staged a sit-in outside a Delhi police station alongside a 19-year-old protester who said he was injured by pellets during the July 20 protest. Gandhi called for a time-bound investigation into the alleged shooting. Police later said a case had been registered based on the protester’s complaint.
The excessive violence issue triggered a deadlock in Parliament, where both houses were repeatedly adjourned after Opposition MPs demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah make a statement and that pellet guns and electric shock devices be prohibited for protest policing.
The Opposition has also demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee or a House-monitored inquiry into the handling of the NEET issue and the subsequent protests.
The government refused a separate discussion, saying the matter concerns law and order, which is being examined by the Supreme Court-appointed panel, and that a debate on an unverified report of a foreign NGO would set a wrong precedent.
The CJP-led movement has become one of the most significant street challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government since it returned to power for a third consecutive term in 2024.
