Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged use of pellet guns during the ‘Chalo Sansad’ protest in New Delhi, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General Gyanendra Pratap Singh has expressed strong support for security personnel, assuring them that they should perform their duties fearlessly and that he would take responsibility for all bona fide operational decisions taken in the line of duty.
Addressing officers and personnel during the CRPF’s Investiture Ceremony, the Director General reaffirmed the leadership’s commitment to standing firmly behind its personnel engaged in operational and law-and-order duties.
“As the Director General of the CRPF, I want to assure each one of you that whether it is an operational battalion or a law-and-order unit, whatever decisions you take and whatever actions you carry out in the bona fide discharge of your duties, I take responsibility for all those decisions and actions,” DG Gyanendra Pratap Singh said.
He further encouraged personnel to continue discharging their responsibilities with confidence, adding, “Continue to perform your duties fearlessly. Wherever responsibility or accountability needs to be taken, I will take it as the Director General.”
The remarks come amid heightened public and political scrutiny following the violence that erupted during the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on 20 July over the NEET-UG paper leak issue. The protest, held near Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, turned violent after clashes broke out between demonstrators and security personnel at multiple locations.
According to Delhi Police, the unrest resulted in injuries to more than 65 protesters and over 200 police personnel. Allegations that security forces used plastic pellet rounds during crowd-control operations later became the centre of a political controversy after reports claimed that several protesters sustained serious injuries.
An internal CRPF inquiry, as reported by multiple media outlets, found that a Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel fired seven rounds from a pump-action pellet gun during the operation, with five pellets reportedly striking protesters. At least three injured protesters reportedly received hospital treatment for pellet-related injuries.
Subsequently, a post-event review conducted by the CRPF reportedly concluded that the deployment of pellet guns and other non-lethal crowd-control measures had been authorised by the Delhi Police and executed in accordance with the prescribed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The review noted that RAF personnel followed the established “force gradient,” resorting to pump-action pellet guns only after lower-intensity crowd-control measures proved ineffective in dispersing the violent crowd.
The Rapid Action Force, a specialised anti-riot wing of the CRPF, is trained to manage law-and-order situations using calibrated and graduated force while minimising casualties and ensuring public safety. The force operates under established operational protocols that prescribe the sequence of non-lethal measures before escalating to higher levels of force when circumstances demand.
The Director General’s statement is being viewed as a message of institutional confidence aimed at reassuring personnel deployed in sensitive law-and-order duties. By publicly assuming responsibility for bona fide operational decisions, the CRPF chief underscored the importance of decisive leadership while reiterating that personnel acting within the framework of law and authorised procedures should not hesitate in carrying out their assigned responsibilities.
The controversy surrounding the use of pellet guns continues to generate political debate, with opposition parties questioning the crowd-control measures employed during the protest. At the same time, security agencies maintain that the actions taken during the operation were consistent with authorised procedures and were intended to restore public order amid escalating violence.
The episode has once again highlighted the complex challenges faced by security forces in balancing effective crowd management with the need to ensure public safety and adhere to legal and operational guidelines. As discussions over the incident continue, the CRPF leadership has reiterated its support for personnel performing their duties professionally while remaining accountable to established procedures and the rule of law.
