On July 20, at least 10 people received medical treatment for injuries caused by pellets, shots or projectiles during police action against protesters marching from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament in Delhi, responses to a Right to Information (RTI) application have revealed.
The RTI application was filed by Saket Gokhale, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and former Rajya Sabha member. According to the response from Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), nine patients were treated at the hospital on July 20 for injuries recorded as “pellet/projectile” injuries. Safdarjung Hospital reported treating another patient for a pellet injury that day.
Very important
Until now, there were reports of 5 people with pellet gun injuries during the Jantar Mantar protests on 20th July.
However, records procured from hospitals show that the confirmed number is AT LEAST DOUBLE i.e. 10 persons.
The break-up is:
👉 Lady Hardinge… pic.twitter.com/qo8MjDKKjj
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) August 10, 2026
The records of the two hospitals therefore confirm at least 10 cases of pellet-related injuries. The figure, however, is not final. Gokhale said he is yet to receive responses from AIIMS and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, meaning the number of people injured by pellets could increase once records from other hospitals become available.
The disclosures come as the Delhi Police continues to deny that pellet guns were used by them during the July 20 action against protesters.
Sharing the responses from LHMC and Safdarjung Hospital on X, Gokhale wrote, “Pellet guns were used against unarmed protesters in the heart of India’s capital, yet the government and police are still concealing information about this. Why hasn’t the Modi government yet released the confirmed number of people injured by pellet guns?”
What did Delhi Police Say?
On July 20, 2026, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called for a ‘Chalo Sansad’ march to protest alleged irregularities in the NEET exam and demand the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Police erected barricades to stop protesters marching from Jantar Mantar to Parliament, leading to clashes between protesters and security personnel. The police action included lathicharge, tear gas and pellet gunfire.
Alt News spoke to victims and reported that protesters were injured by pellet guns during the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march. Following allegations that pellet guns had been used, the Delhi Police denied it on July 21, saying that pellet guns were not used against the protesters.
🚨 FAKE NEWS ALERT 🚨
Reports claiming that police forces are using pellet guns against peaceful protesters are completely false and misleading.
The public is strongly advised not to share or circulate unverified content. Please verify facts from official sources before posting…
— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) July 21, 2026
Later, PIB Fact Check, based on the same claim of Delhi Police, also declared that the social media posts and claims related to the use of pellet guns during the protest was “fake”.
When reports of two or three pellet victims started emerging in the days following the mayhem in Delhi, a section of social media users questioned those reports arguing that if pellets were indeed fired, the number of injured victims would be more than that.
Alt News reported on July 31 that according to information recorded in a General Diary (GD) of the Parliament Street police station on July 22, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) fired 55 rounds of non-electrical shells, 15 electrical shells, 5 tear gas shells and 2 rounds from an anti-riot gun on the orders of a deputy commissioner of police (DCP) during the protests near Jantar Mantar on July 20.
However, The Times of India, citing PTI, reported that the police officer concerned later claimed he was not present at the scene where the pellet guns were fired and was approximately half a kilometre away.
What did Alt News’ Investigation Reveal?
Amid this controversy, Alt News conducted an independent investigation into the events of July 20 and identified at least three people who were injured by pellet guns: 25-year-old Irshad Mansoori, 19-year-old Sahil Lochab, and a journalist from Outlook. A photo of another possible victim also surfaced on social media.
In a video found during the investigation, an RAF soldier was seen with a pump-action-like gun.
ALSO READ: No one fired pellet guns in Delhi
We also geolocated three videos from the July 20 mayhem in Delhi — two showing injured victims Irshad and Mansoori, and one showing a RAF jawan with a pump action shotgun in firing position. When mapped together, it can be seen that the three spots are in close vicinity. The three videos together place the two victims within a few hundred metres of a position where RAF personnel were recorded with weapons raised.
This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Pawan Kumar.
Pawan Kumar | Radio Free (2026-08-13T13:57:50+00:00) RTI reveals at least 10 pellet victims treated in Delhi govt hospitals on July 20. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2026/08/13/rti-reveals-at-least-10-pellet-victims-treated-in-delhi-govt-hospitals-on-july-20/
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