RAF launches probe into actions of its personnel during Delhi student protests Two students admitted with pellet injuries

PTI, July 24, 2026, New Delhi : The Rapid Action Force (RAF) has initiated an inquiry into allegations regarding the conduct of its personnel during the ongoing student protests in Delhi, officials said on Friday.

The officials told PTI that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has asked the Inspector General (IG) of the RAF, its special anti-riot unit, to verify the sequence of events involving its various teams deployed to control the protesters, as well as incidents in which personnel were allegedly attacked.

CRPF officials said a formal Court of Inquiry (CoI) has not yet been initiated into these incidents. They said such a probe would be ordered once this verification exercise establishes the facts.

The students launched a 'Chalo Sansad' march from their dharna site at Jantar Mantar on July 20 under the umbrella of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign and take responsibility for the recent NEET question paper leak.

The officials said the RAF has taken cognisance of multiple social media videos and photographs featuring its personnel in blue dungarees. These include footage showing them deploying guns and sticks and undertaking a lathi-charge, alongside videos in which its personnel were surrounded and allegedly attacked by the crowd.

"All legal procedures stipulated to check the conduct of the personnel during such operational duties will be followed," a senior officer of the force said.

The officials said the RAF possesses the 12-bore pump-action gun, also known as a pellet gun, as part of its riot-control armoury. The standard operating procedure (SOP) stipulates the use of the pellet gun when jawans face extremely challenging situations, including a grave danger to their lives, they said.

According to the SOP, these guns should essentially be used with a deflector so that the metal or rubber pellets inflict fewer injuries and only on the lower half of the body.

At least two students have been admitted to local hospitals with pellet injuries since July 20.

While the Delhi Police has said it does not possess pellet guns and called such reports misleading, neither the CRPF nor the RAF has commented on allegations that their personnel fired the ammunition so far.

The RAF is also verifying instances where footage shows stranded jawans being attacked by protesters, a video in which a man in an RAF uniform was depicted tripping a rushing protester, causing the protester to fall, and another in which a shock-emitting gun was stated to have been used against a protester.

The CRPF also instructed the commanders of the RAF and other regular units deployed for the protests not to speak to the press after a similar interaction by a woman RAF officer earlier this week was deemed "undesirable".

Certain purported comments made by RAF Assistant Commandant Sonia Sehrawat on the protests through her Instagram handle are also being analysed by the CRPF headquarters for possible violation of the paramilitary's social media policy, the officials said.

The CRPF issued its social media guidelines for personnel in 2023, specifically warning them against commenting on controversial or political matters that may later create complications.