Police Used Deadly Force Against CJP-Led Protests in Jantar Mantar: Amnesty Report

New Delhi: Amnesty International has accused the Delhi Police of using excessive force against students who staged a protest at Jantar Mantar against irregularities in the NEET examination. According to an Amnesty report, police used electric shock devices and pellet guns, among other measures, against students who were protesting peacefully.

The report challenges the police claim that force was used only after protesters turned violent. It comes days after the Supreme Court constituted a panel on Thursday to investigate violence by both police and protesters. The police crackdown took place on July 20, when thousands of protesters in Delhi attempted to march towards Parliament following the NEET-UG question paper leak.

Amnesty said witness testimonies and visual evidence confirmed the use of pellet guns, tear-gas launchers, grenades, batons and electric shock devices against protesters in Delhi and Bihar. The report also documented two incidents in Bihar's Siwan district in which a police officer allegedly used a lethal weapon against a crowd unlawfully.

The report said the use of these weapons violated international laws and standards as well as domestic policing guidelines.

The police action in Delhi and Bihar were state-sanctioned violence carried out under the pretext of crowd control. The Delhi Police had maintained that force was used only after protesters resorted to violence.

The Amnesty report strongly disputes that claim, stating that evidence indicates excessive force was used against protesters who were engaged in peaceful demonstrations.