RAF Fired Anti-Riot Gun Twice During Jantar Mantar Protest On DCP's Orders, Document Reveals
RAF Fired Anti-Riot Gun Twice During Jantar Mantar Protest On DCP's Orders, Document Reveals Reported By, Last Updated: July 28, 2026, 01:32 IST The ARG
RAF Fired Anti-Riot Gun Twice During Jantar Mantar Protest On DCP's Orders, Document Reveals Reported By, Last Updated: July 28, 2026, 01:32 IST The ARG is different from a pellet gun but falls under the same category of non-lethal or less-lethal weapons. Police use teargas to control the crowd during the protest of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. (Reuters photo) The Rapid Action Force (RAF), which is facing scrutiny over its handling of a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on July 20, used an Anti-Riot Gun (ARG) along with tear smoke shells and other crowd-control equipment to disperse protesters, sources told News18, citing a document. The ARG is different from a pellet gun but falls under the same category of non-lethal or less-lethal weapons. According to the document, a Deputy Commandant of an RAF battalion informed the Duty Officer’s room that his unit was deployed at Zone-1 of Jantar Mantar along with a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP)-rank IPS officer during the protest.
The report stated that on the DCP’s orders, security personnel fired 55 non-electric shells, 15 electric shells, five tear smoke grenades and two rounds from the Anti-Riot Gun using ballistic cartridges with plastic pellet rounds. The entry was later recorded in the official database. A detailed query has been sent to the Delhi Police PRO, and the report will be updated after a response is received. RAF Reviewed Use Of Crowd-Control Weapons After Protest News18 was first to report that the RAF has identified serious operational deficiencies in its handling of the July 20 protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and has issued an extensive set of corrective directions, including a ban on the use of Projectile Attack Guns (PAG), Anti-Riot Guns (ARG), Electric Shock Weapons and Electric Shields during the ongoing deployment in the national capital until further orders. During a video conference chaired by RAF Inspector General Seema Dhundia on July 22, senior officers reviewed the force’s role and issued 26 measures to improve crowd-control procedures, discipline and accountability, according to a senior source quoting a document.
How Anti-Riot Gun Works? The Anti-Riot Gun is officially classified as a non-lethal or less-lethal weapon. It was initially developed under the name “Missile Gun" and is a modified version of the standard.303 rifle. The weapon fires solid plastic pellet cartridges using ballistic cartridges as propellant. Each cartridge is about 12.5 cm long, weighs around 30 grams and has a diameter of 14.9 mm. When fired, the plastic pellet breaks into four fragments, allowing it to hit multiple targets from a single shot. This is different from weapons designed to target a single person. The official entry does not name any injured protesters or bystanders and does not specify where on the body the ARG rounds were aimed or whether anyone was hit. It records only that the munitions, including the two ARG rounds, were used to control the crowd during the protest, on the orders of the DCP, and that the matter was formally logged with police.
The BriefWire