‘I thought he was only trying to scare me’: CJP protester recalls being shot in face by pellet gun
A 25-year-old protester named Irshad Shaikh alleges he was shot in the face by a pellet gun fired by security personnel during a demonstration at Jantar Mantar. Despite his injuries, Shaikh maintains that the protest was peaceful and intended to advocate for future generations.
Why it matters
The incident highlights escalating tensions between protesters and security forces in India, raising concerns about the use of force against student demonstrators.
NEW DELHI: “I fell to the ground and wasn’t fully conscious, but I knew what had happened,” recalled Irshad Shaikh, a 25-year-old protester who was allegedly shot by a pellet gun in the face. As people noticed him bleeding, they rushed him to Lady Hardinge Hospital on a scooter, he said.Originally from MP’s Jabalpur, Shaikh moved to Delhi two years ago and works with an IT company in Gurgaon. Despite suffering injuries to his face, neck and upper body, he said he does not regret joining the protest. “I did it for our future generations,” he told TOI Thursday.Shaikh said he had been attending the protest for nearly 20 days as he believed in the cause.On July 20, he reached Kerala Bhavan near Parliament around 9am for the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march. He remained there till about 11am before leaving briefly for a personal appointment between 12.30pm and 3.30pm.
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