New Delhi: Shaikh Irshad Mansoori is an accounts manager at a Gurugram-based firm. He first came to Jantar Mantar on Monday morning, among thousands who swarmed the 18th-century UNESCO site at the call of Sonam Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
Recalling what unfolded later that day, Irshad told a family member: “I was pleading, with folded hands, along with several others, before them (security forces), that please don’t use weapons on us. We are youth and just raising demands for education.”
The next thing Irshad remembers, as the family member told ThePrint, was blood oozing out of his left eye. Within seconds, the injury spread to his lower chin, shoulder and chest. The 25-year-old from Madhya Pradesh was rushed to nearby Lady Hardinge Hospital where he is currently recovering. It was here that he was told he had been hit with a pellet gun.
“Pellet remnants were removed from his body in two surgeries in his neck and eye conducted Tuesday,” said a source privy to his treatment.
Irshad is one of more than 70 people who were injured when Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) deployed force to disperse thousands who took to the streets of central Delhi to take part in the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march. More than 100 security personnel were also injured in clashes with protesters.
Though Delhi Police have denied the use of pellet guns during the action on 20 July, the crowd-control measure is not part of its armoury. Pellet guns, however, continue to be a part of RAF’s armouries.
ThePrint made multiple attempts to reach the CRPF spokesperson as well as Inspector General (RAF) Seema Dhundia for comment via calls and WhatsApp, but did not receive any response till the time of publication. RAF is the anti-riot wing of CRPF.
Introduced as a crowd-control measure in Jammu and Kashmir by the state police and the CRPF around 2010, pellets have in many documented cases blinded those at the receiving end. The Supreme Court had in 2016 asked the Centre to ensure security forces apply their minds before firing pellet guns. The next year, the goverment told the apex court that the use of pellet guns was marked as the “last resort” during crowd control.
Irshad’s is the only identified case of pellet injuries suffered by a protester during the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march as yet. However, videos circulating on social media have indicated that more protesters may have been struck by pellets.
“I was thinking the jawan in blue dress (RAF) had a weapon aimed at me. I presumed he was just posing and was not supposed to fire. Suddenly, an object struck my left eyebrow, and it scattered. I could feel the particles on my face, lower right chin and neck,” Irshad told the family member, who narrated the account to ThePrint.
Irshad added that the moment he was struck, he began bleeding profusely and lost his “ability to make sense of the situation”.
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Family didn’t know Irshad went for protest
The son of a farmer in the Patan sub-division of Jabalpur district, Shaikh Irshad Mansoori has been living in Delhi-NCR for the last two years. His elder brother, Sheikh Mustafa Mansoori, said the family was not aware of his plan to attend the protest at Jantar Mantar.
“It was a routine call on Monday evening, like the one we have every day,” Mustafa told ThePrint over the phone. “My father had gone there a few days back and is staying at my brother’s (Irshad’s) rented accommodation. I have not been able to go there, and my father, who does not know how to use a smartphone, is helpless in Delhi,” Mustafa said.
The family member quoted earlier said Irshad himself dissuaded his father from visiting him while he was under treatment.
“I am recovering well now and out of danger. Looking at me like this would harm his health,” Irshad told the family member who said the 25-year-old has stitches on his neck and right eye, but the injuries have not affected his vision or overall health. “All his vitals are normal, and he is recovering well,” a source at the hospital confirmed to ThePrint.
ThePrint reached Lady Hardinge director Dr Himani Ahluwalia for comment. She refused to divulge any details, citing patient-doctor confidentiality.
‘Will return to Jantar Mantar’
Recalling the sequence of events, Irshad told the family member that he was outside Kerala Bhawan around 9 AM Monday before leaving for Jhandewalan for “personal work”. It was during his return to Jantar Mantar that he was hit by pellets.
“They (doctors) were not sure about the material used in the pellets. Earlier, they were thinking it was only rubber. Later, after reports, they told me that it was a rubbery one with a mixture of lead,” Irshad told the family member who narrated his account to ThePrint.
The family member added that doctors told Irshad, who went under the knife twice within a span of hours, that he was now out of danger and the pellets have been removed.
Irshad, the family member said, has “no regrets at all”.
“The protest was about youth and their future. I have got a job, but that is not the end of it all. The youth of the country needs quality education and a system to thrive, and I will return again to the place (Jantar Mantar),” Irshad told the family member.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)