Preserve ammunition log of RAF used in NEET protests: SC to Centre

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to preserve the ammunition log of the Rapid Action Force deployed at Jantar Mantar during the students’ protest over the NEET paper leak issue. The Apex Court questioned one of the prayers sought in a plea seeking a complete ban on the use of metallic pellet guns to deal with law and order situations. It referred to the advisory of the Bureau of Police Research and Development and said that police are empowered to use pellet guns in exceptional situations. The bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana asked the Delhi Government to provide the best treatment to those who suffered pellet injuries during the protest. The bench asked the Centre, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, to preserve the ammunition log of the Rapid Action Force deployed at Jantar Mantar during the protest.
The Bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by former IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad and two persons who suffered pellet injuries during the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' protest over the NEET paper leak. The petition seeks directions to ban or decommission the use of wholly or partly metallic kinetic projectiles fired from pump action rifles or Projectile Action Guns (PAGs) by law enforcement agencies for crowd control.Apart from seeking a ban on metallic pellet guns, the petition also seeks compensation, medical treatment and rehabilitation for those injured during the July 20 police action.