Police used excessive force during Delhi protests: Amnesty
Amnesty International has accused Delhi police of using excessive force, including pellet guns and electric shock devices, against student protesters. The report contradicts official police claims that force was only used in response to violent demonstrators.
Why it matters
The report highlights ongoing tensions regarding civil liberties and police conduct in India, currently under investigation by the Supreme Court.
Police used excessive force, including electric shock devices and pellet guns, against youth-led protests that forced Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign last month, Amnesty International said Monday (August 24, 2026).
A report from the rights' group clashes with the police account that force was used only after protesters turned violent, and comes after the Supreme Court set up a panel on Thursday (August 20, 2026) to investigate violence by both police and demonstrators.
Demonstrations in New Delhi, triggered by the leak of NET-UG paper, turned violent on July 20 when thousands of protesters attempted to march towards Parliament.
Amnesty said witness testimony and visual evidence it had verified confirmed the use of "pellet-firing shotguns, tear gas launchers, grenades, batons and electric shock devices against protesters" in Delhi and Bihar.
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