AIIMS refused to share details of Jantar Mantar pellet injuries: Saket Gokhale

Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale on Thursday, 20 August alleged that AIIMS-Delhi — citing provisions protecting personal information — refused to disclose details sought under the RTI Act about people who suffered pellet or projectile injuries during the 20 July protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.

The TMC leader also alleged that the Modi government was withholding information on pellet gun injuries sustained during the protests and questioned why the number of victims had not been disclosed.

In a post on X, Gokhale said he had filed RTI applications with four Union government hospitals in Delhi seeking, among other details, the number of people who suffered pellet gun injuries during the protests. He said two hospitals had responded and confirmed a total of 10 victims with pellet gun injuries, while AIIMS had refused to provide the information. No reaction was immediately available from AIIMS.

According to AIIMS’ 14 August response to the RTI plea, a total of 96 cases were registered at its casualty/emergency department on 20 July, of which 94 were medico-legal in nature. Eight patients were admitted.

The hospital, however, declined to provide information on the nature of the injuries, details of the people brought in, their place of origin, and whether any person had presented with pellet, shot or projectile injuries, Gokhale claimed.

It cited Section 8(1)(j) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, saying disclosure of such information could directly or indirectly lead to the identification or tracing of the individual concerned.

Gokhale questioned the decision, saying the RTI application had only sought the number of pellet gun injury victims and not their identities or personal details.

'Bizarrely, AIIMS has refused to disclose the information claiming ‘it might directly or indirectly lead to identification of the patient’. How does disclosing the number of pellet gun victims enable ‘identification of the person’? Patient details have not been sought. All that's been asked for is a simple number,' he said.

'Why are Modi-Shah so desperate to bury information about pellet gun victims from the Delhi protests? Even after a month, the govt has not released any details. We still don't know how many victims in total suffered pellet gun injuries on 20th July. And now hospitals are being asked to suppress information,' Gokhale said.

The TMC leader added, 'If Modi-Shah claim that the pellet gun use on unarmed protestors was legal, why so scared to disclose the details?'

Earlier, Gokhale had said records obtained from Lady Hardinge Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital showed nine people and one person, respectively, with pellet gun injuries on 20 July. He had said records from AIIMS and RML Hospital were awaited.

The AIIMS response also said no advisory was issued and no mass casualty or disaster management protocol was activated on 20 July. It said no leave was cancelled on that day.

With PTI inputs