Key facts
- India shipped hundreds of thousands of weapon parts and munitions components to Israel, according to Amnesty International.
- Amnesty International warned of a substantial risk that Indian exports to Israel could contribute to its actions in Gaza.
- Pellet guns, originally introduced in Kashmir in 2010, have been used to control protests in Delhi, injuring civilians.
- Between 2010 and 2019, 24 people were killed by pellet guns in Kashmir.
- Pellet guns fire hundreds of metal pellets that disperse widely, capable of hitting multiple people and causing severe injuries, including blindness and death.
- The use of pellet guns has spread globally, with documented instances in Chile, Bangladesh, and Iran.
Amnesty International has reported that India supplied hundreds of thousands of weapon parts and munitions components to Israel during its offensive in Gaza, raising concerns about the potential contribution to alleged war crimes. The report, 'Made in India: the supply of weapons and munitions to Israel,' published in July 2026, warns of a substantial risk that these exports could aid Israel's actions in Gaza.
The broader concern highlighted by the report is the dangerous precedent set by the use of such weapons against civilians, suggesting that what is legitimized in one location can spread globally.
A specific example cited is the use of pellet guns by Delhi police against students protesting an examination leak scam. This incident resulted in at least 10 civilian injuries, with one individual facing potential permanent vision loss. The use of these weapons in India's capital has sparked nationwide outrage, contrasting with the muted response to their deployment in Kashmir.
Pellet guns, originally introduced by India in Kashmir in 2010 as a 'non-lethal' crowd-control tool, have a documented history of causing severe harm. Between 2010 and 2019, 24 people were killed by these weapons in Kashmir. A surge in casualties followed the death of militant commander Burhan Wani in 2016, with reports from July 2016 to February 2019 detailing 139 people blinded and 2,942 injured, including 1,459 with serious eye injuries.
These shotguns, typically used for bird hunting, fire hundreds of metal pellets that disperse widely, making it difficult to target individuals and increasing the risk of hitting bystanders. The pellets are sharp enough to embed in the body, causing permanent pain, blindness, and sometimes death, despite the 'less-lethal' designation.
The justification for their use in Kashmir has often been framed around terrorism and national security, though evidence suggests they have primarily been used against civilian protesters rather than insurgents. This security doctrine, now being exported, has been criticized for its selective application of the presumption of innocence based on identity.
The use of pellet guns has not been confined to India. The United Kingdom reportedly used similar weapons during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, influencing the adoption of comparable versions by US police. The weapons have also been deployed in Palestine, Chile, Bangladesh, and Iran, leading to significant casualties and injuries, underscoring the global spread of such crowd-control tactics when their initial use goes unchallenged.