Amit Shah Praises CRPF As Force Faces Scrutiny Over Pellet Gun Use

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the country's largest paramilitary force, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), has set countless milestones of pride since its inception by winning every battle to ensure India's internal security.

Extending greetings to the 3.25 lakh CRPF personnel on the force's raising day, Shah said on X, "Whether it is stamping out Naxalism, or shielding India's peace and progress with resolute valor, the force has always lived up to the nation's expectations."

"Greetings to the CRPF personnel and their family members on their Raising Day…A Proud salute to the warriors who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty," he said.

Pellet Guns Under The Radar

The Home Minister's praise for CRPF comes at a pointed time when the force's alleged use of excessive force during the Chalo Sansad March on July 20 at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. Protesters, gathered at the designated protest site in Delhi following a call for nationwide protest by Cockroach Janta Party against irregularities in NEET examinations, allege that Delhi Police and CRPF have used brutal force to suppress the march, including use of pellet guns. 

At least three persons reportedly sustained pellet injuries during the students’ agitation, which was held under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak.

While Delhi Police has denied using pellet guns and termed such reports misleading, CRPF and RAF have not issued a formal response on the specific allegation of pellet use.

Since the Delhi Police and CRPF both come under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is led by Amit Shah, Opposition has pointed their allegations at Shah, seeking accountability for the “barbaric assault” on student protesters.

“Our students were demanding a fair and accountable education system. Instead of being heard, security forces assaulted them with indiscriminate force, including lethal weapons and tear gas,” Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said in a written a letter to the Home Minister.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday has agreed to hear on Tuesday a batch of pleas alleging police excesses against students protesting over NEET paper leak across the country and other exam irregularities, while observing that the right to peaceful protest is guaranteed.

"Professional post-event assessment"

Meanwhile, CRPF Director General Gyanendra Pratap Singh has said a "professional post-event assessment" would be conducted into the action taken by Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel against anti-NEET protestors as the "agitation is called off, and assembled people have dispersed."

Conducting a "professional post-event assessment" after every major operation is part of the CRPF's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). The review will evaluate all aspects of the RAF's response and the overall operation. The assessment would review the circumstances under which pellet guns were used and the conditions that led to the action taken against protestors.