What makes pellet guns dangerous? Is its use on civilians justified? Panel debates

In this edition of Newstrack with Marya Shakil, India Today accesses exclusive CCTV visuals from five locations showing how thousands of protesters during the July 20 Sansad Chalo march bypassed multiple barricades and reached within 50 metres of the Parliament perimeter wall. The security grid faced a major scare as crowds advanced near Central Secretariat Metro station and outer gates before security personnel dispersed them. Meanwhile, the pellet gun debate reached the Supreme Court, which observed that security forces may use pellet guns only in exceptional circumstances. The top court directed the Centre to preserve the Rapid Action Force (RAF) ammunition log from Jantar Mantar and mandated the Delhi government to provide medical care to injured petitioners. While Delhi Police maintained pellet guns were not used, internal reports revealed RAF fired plastic pellets during the student protest, leaving individuals like 19-year-old Sahil Lochan and 25-year-old artist Prashant Kumar Singh injured. On the show, former IB Special Director Yashvardhan Azad advocated a total ban on pellet guns due to their indiscriminate spray, while former J&K DGP S.P. Vaid argued they remain a necessary last resort compared to lethal force.