Artist Says Pellets Remain After CJP Protest Injury

Prashant, a 25-year-old Delhi artist, said pellets remain in his arms after he was injured during the Cockroach Janta Party protest in Delhi on July 20. Hospital records from Lady Hardinge Hospital, reviewed by The Indian Express, record injuries to his chest, right upper limb and groin region.

Prashant told the newspaper he had gone to the protest to document it through his paintings. He said he felt an impact on his right arm amid chaos near Connaught Place, then saw blood running to his fingers.

“The doctors have removed many of them, but a few still remain deep inside the tissue,” he told The Indian Express at Lok Nayak Hospital on Monday evening.

What we can verify

• The Indian Express reported that Lady Hardinge Hospital records dated July 20 list Prashant’s injuries in three areas: chest, right upper limb and inguinal region.
• Dr Himani Ahluwalia, director of Lady Hardinge Hospital, told the newspaper that pellets near the skin surface can be removed with forceps while those lodged deeper in muscle are harder to extract and are kept under observation.
• The report said the CRPF had found that a Rapid Action Force member deployed in Connaught Place fired at least seven pellet-gun rounds. It attributed the finding and claim that five rounds struck protesters to unnamed sources.

What remains unverified

• CJP News has not independently reviewed Prashant’s hospital records or the CRPF’s internal findings.
• The identity of the Rapid Action Force member and any disciplinary outcome were not established in the report [unverified].