Context: A Supreme Court Bench led by CJI Surya Kant declined a blanket ban on pellet guns, holding that they may be used in exceptional circumstances for crowd control.
- The ruling followed allegations of pellet use against NEET-UG paper leak protesters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
About Pellet Guns in India:
What It Is?
- Pellet guns are 12-bore pump-action shotguns classified as less-lethal kinetic projectile weapons intended for crowd control and dispersal. Instead of a single bullet, each cartridge releases a expanding cloud of hundreds of tiny spherical metal, rubber, or plastic pellets.
Introduced In:
- Year of Induction: 2010 by the Union Government as a non-lethal alternative for crowd control following violent unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.
- First Deployment: First used by the Jammu & Kashmir Police in Sopore in August 2010, and subsequently adopted by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Rapid Action Force (RAF).
Key Features:
- Wide Dispersion Area: A single 12-bore cartridge fires approximately 500 pellets, which spread out across a wide radius upon exiting the barrel.
- Graded Non-Lethal Classification: Designed to incapacitate violent mobs from a distance without causing immediate fatalities, bridging the gap between tear gas and live ammunition.
- Variable Ammunition Composition: Can fire lead/metallic, rubber, or plastic pellets depending on operational requirements and force escalation protocols.
- High Kinetic Energy at Close Range: Though labeled less-lethal, pellets retain severe penetrating power when fired at close quarters or above waist height.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Deployment:
- Rarest of Rare / Exceptional Use: Pellet guns must be deployed strictly as a last resort when all other non-lethal options (water cannons, lathi charge, PAVA chilli shells, and tear smoke) fail to disperse a violent assembly.
- Graded Escalation of Force: Law enforcement must strictly follow a hierarchy of force, progressing through rubber/plastic pellets before considering metallic options.
- Aiming Below the Waist: Personnel are mandated, as far as practicable, to aim exclusively at the lower limbs (below the waist) to prevent injuries to vital organs, head, or eyes.
- Proportionality and Necessity: Force must remain strictly proportional to the threat posed, used only when necessary, and halted immediately once the crowd disperses or ceases violence.
- Mandatory Post-Event Care: Operating procedures require immediate medical assistance and hospitalization to be provided to any injured individuals following deployment.
Key Implications:
- Risk of Permanent Disability & Ocular Trauma: Due to wide pellet spray, victims often suffer life-altering injuries—most notably permanent blindness, ocular trauma, and internal organ damage when hit above the waist.
- Human Rights & Legal Scrutiny: International bodies (like the UN) and civil rights groups highlight that metallic pellet guns violate international standards on less-lethal weapons due to their indiscriminate nature.
- Collateral Damage to Bystanders: The uncontrollable scatter pattern makes it difficult to isolate violent agitators from peaceful protesters or innocent bystanders, raising serious concerns under Article 21 (Right to Life and Personal Liberty).
