Ethics · 25 Jul 2026

pellet gun SOP least invasive

With reference to the use of pellet guns by security forces in India, which one of the following statements is correct?

AStandard Operating Procedures classify pellet guns as "less-lethal" weapons and require them to be aimed below the waist, used only as a last resort.
BThe Delhi Police were the first to publicly confirm pellet gun use at Jantar Mantar, before any hospital records existed.
CThe Centre has directed the CRPF to expand pellet gun use at Jantar Mantar following the July 20 crackdown.
DPellet guns are classified as lethal weapons under India's crowd-control doctrine, on par with live ammunition.
This question is based on: Three Protesters, Three Pellet Wounds and a Force That Says It Wasn't There
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About this question

Why in news

At least three protesters, including a 19-year-old who may lose vision in one eye, sustained pellet gun injuries during the July 20 Jantar Mantar crackdown, followed by an initial police denial that was later contradicted by hospital records.

Why for UPSC

This tests whether an aspirant can distinguish the actual sequence of events (denial before confirmation, restriction not expansion) from plausible-sounding but reversed distractors - a common and fair way UPSC tests careful reading of a current-affairs narrative.

Prelims summary

Pellet guns are "less-lethal" weapons requiring below-waist aim as a last resort under SOP; Delhi Police initially denied their use at Jantar Mantar before hospital records confirmed it, after which the Centre directed the CRPF to stop using them there.

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