New Delhi: One of the people grievously injured during police action on the ‘Sansad March’ on Monday (July 20), 25-year-old Shaikh Irshad Mansoori, underwent surgery at Lady Hardinge Hospital on Tuesday – and appears to have been the victim of a pellet gun or a similar weapon. His friend, who has known him since school, accompanied him to the hospital and has been with him since, told The Wire that he is being given extremely limited information on what the doctors think could have caused Irshad’s injuries. He has also not been provided with any written documentation on the injuries or on Irshad’s condition.Irshad underwent a three-hour operation on Tuesday for his injuries. This was his first day attending the youth protest in Jantar Mantar, he told The Wire, and otherwise lives in Gurugram where he works.In a selfie Irshad took from the hospital bed, small, pellet-like injuries are visible across his face and neck. His friend told The Wire that the doctor said two of these injuries – one under his eye and another on his throat – were particularly bad. In The Wire’s presence, hospital staff asked the friend to sign a piece of paper saying that he had been made aware that Irshad may lose his eyesight during the surgical procedure, and doctors would not be responsible for this.Irshad being wheeled out after his surgery. Photo: Vipul KumarIrshad and his friend were near the Connaught Place area when Irshad was injured, his friend said, and the weapon used was wielded by an RAF (Rapid Action Force) jawan from around 40-50 meters away. He and his friend did not see anyone else hit by a similar weapon, they told The Wire. The RAF comes under the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and has been deployed during the ongoing protests.Interestingly, Irshad was one of the injured protesters Union health minister J.P. Nadda met when he visited Lady Hardinge Hospital on Tuesday. A video of their interaction was shared by several news agencies including ANI, but without any audio. The video has also been shot in a manner in which Irshad’s injuries are not clearly visible.When asked about this encounter, Irshad’s friend said that Nadda presented Irshad with a fruit basket, and told Irshad, “Sab theek ho jayega (Everything will be alright).” Nadda also asked Irshad how he was injured, to which Irshad replied that he attended Monday’s protest, and was injured when the police targeted protesters. Irshad also told Nadda that he joined the protest because he was unhappy with the Union government’s actions and failures when it came to education and the country’s youth. In the video as put out by news agencies, however, none of this can be heard and Nadda can simply be seen consoling and encouraging Irshad.The Wire spoke to Irshad on Wednesday morning, when he said he was in a lot of pain after his surgery. Most of the foreign objects had been removed during surgery, he said. “I don’t know mere saath kya hua kya hoga (I don’t know what has happened to me or what will happen). But my voice will be the same. My country is way more precious then myself,” he posted on social media on Wednesday.An older photo of Irshad.Reports of pellet gun use were first publicised on Monday, including by the Cockroach Janata Party using Irshad’s image, but the Delhi Police responded to the claim, saying that they were false. The Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, said on X, “Reports claiming that police forces are using pellet guns against peaceful protesters are completely false and misleading. The public is strongly advised not to share or circulate unverified content. Please verify facts from official sources before posting or forwarding any information.”The police repeated this assertion on Wednesday morning:The allegation of pellet gun use, however, has been made against the RAF and not the Delhi Police.