CJP protest: India's 'Cockroach' protesters have wounds consistent with pellet-gun fire, experts say - BBC News

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# India's 'cockroach' protesters have wounds consistent with pellet-gun fire, say experts

![Sahil Lochab's face and right arm which show the pellet gun wounds on his body](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/976/cpsprodpb/a87d/live/23d70e10-8bf9-11f1-b8ee-9b3c26ad07bb.png)Image source, Congress Party

Image caption, 

The face and body of Sahil Lochab, who appeared with opposition leader Rahul Gandhi at a press conference, are peppered with tiny holes

ByGeeta Pandey

BBC Correspondent, Delhi

- Published

  9 hours ago

**Independent ballistic experts have told the BBC that injuries sustained by some Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters during last week's protest in the Indian capital were caused by pellet guns.**

***Warning: This story contains images some might find distressing***

Central Delhi witnessed [overwhelming violence](/news/articles/c98v349r9lro) on 20 July when tens of thousands of protesters tried to march to the parliament to seek education reforms and the resignation of the education minister.

Police and paramilitary personnel were seen brutally attacking the crowds with wooden sticks, batons and tear gas. Delhi Police said 60 protesters and 118 of their personnel were injured. CJP said the number of injured protesters was a lot higher than the official count.

In the days following the crackdown, the government has not confirmed media reports that pellet guns were used on protesters.

But the BBC has been able to confirm at least four cases where protesters have been treated at hospitals for wounds that experts say are caused by pellet guns.

Pellet guns are shotguns designed for bird hunting. They fire cartridges, known as "birdshot", containing 200 to 400 small metal pellets. When used against crowds, the pellets spread out in a wide arc, striking people indiscriminately. These guns are banned in several countries.

We have spoken to two of the injured men who believe they were hit by pellet guns fired by security forces. We have also shown photographs and videos of them and a third man to two independent armament and forensic experts. A senior official at a hospital has confirmed a fourth man who also received treatment for pellet wounds.

The experts say the dozens of tiny round punctures are tell-tale signs of injuries caused by birdshot.

"The injuries depicted are definitely from a pellet gun," UK-based ballistics forensic scientist Philip Boyce told the BBC, adding that the weapon used is "a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun".

"These pellet injuries can actually be quite devastating, especially at close range. The injuries I see [in Delhi] are not at close range, they're at least 50 feet. But they can actually still be devastating and potentially life-threatening even from 100 feet," he said.

NR Jenzen-Jones, director of Armament Research Services (ARES) in UK, told the BBC that "images and video from the protests show the police using shotguns for crowd control" and photos of "injuries are strongly consistent with the use of birdshot".

"While shotguns are a common tool in the less-lethal arsenals of many states, Indian law enforcement agencies have a long history of employing shotgun cartridges loaded with small lead pellets - known as 'birdshot' - in crowd-control scenarios. When loaded with birdshot cartridges, shotguns are sometimes referred to as 'pellet guns'," he added.

"But these pellets are not safe. They can result in life-changing or, occasionally, life-threatening injuries. They also pepper the body with toxic lead, which can sometimes be difficult to remove safely," he said.

That's why many countries have either banned them or restricted their usage. In the UK, Boyce says pellet guns are widely used for shooting birds of prey and they're fairly freely available. But, he's "not aware" of any instance when they've been used for crowd control.

![Shaikh Irshad Mansoori said scans showed he had more than 40 pellets in his body](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/976/cpsprodpb/0313/live/51f62740-8bf9-11f1-b8ee-9b3c26ad07bb.png)Image source, Shaikh Irshad Mansoori

Image caption, 

Shaikh Irshad Mansoori said scans showed he had more than 40 pellets in his body

In Indian-administered Kashmir - where pellet guns have been used since 2010 - [official data,, external](https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/04/india-stop-using-pellet-firing-shotguns-kashmir) compiled by Human Rights Watch, shows they have injured several thousand people, killed at least 17 and blinded dozens.

If it's confirmed that the forces used pellet guns in Delhi, this would be the first time that India would have used them on its citizens in its capital city.

Two of the young men we spoke to told us they were injured in Connaught Place - a major hub near parliament - after 4pm local time on 20 July.

Mohit (name changed) said when he saw a security personnel aim his gun at him, he turned around and began running in the opposite direction.

"Two-three seconds later, I felt a burning sensation on my right arm and back," the 28-year-old journalist told the BBC.

Mohit said he kept running as a searing pain coursed through his body until he reached a café, bought a bottle of water and washed his wounds. "That's when I saw the tiny circular holes on my arm and upper back. I was completely freaked out."

An X-ray taken at Safdarjung hospital, where he was treated for his wounds, shows tiny objects embedded in his arm and upper torso. Medical records that he has shared with the BBC show he has 26 pellet wounds on his right elbow and four on his upper right back. The notes include a diagram showing where the objects are lodged in his body.

Mohit said the doctors told him that surgery could worsen his situation, but he worries about the damage "they can do in future since they remain lodged in my bod