# AIIMS refuses RTI details on Jantar Mantar pellet injuries: Gokhale 2026-08-20T22:10:39+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale has alleged that AIIMS-Delhi refused to disclose the number of pellet gun injury victims from the 20 July protest at Jantar Mantar, citing the RTI Act's personal information exemption. Gokhale said he had sought details from four Delhi hospitals, two confirmed a total of 10 pellet gun victims, while AIIMS declined to provide even a simple count. AIIMS responded on 14 August that 96 cases were registered in its casualty department on 20 July, of which 94 were medico-legal, and eight patients were admitted. But it invoked Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act to deny information on injury types and patient details, arguing disclosure could lead to identification. Gokhale questioned the logic, saying he had asked only for the number of victims, not identities. The TMC leader accused the Modi government of suppressing information and asked why hospitals were being told to withhold data. He previously obtained records from Lady Hardinge Hospital (nine victims) and Safdarjung Hospital (one victim). AIIMS also said no mass casualty protocol was activated or leave cancelled on the day. No response from AIIMS was immediately available. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The RTI exemption under Section 8(1)(j) protects personal information that has no relation to public activity. But the number of pellet gun victims, without names or addresses, is unlikely to identify any individual, courts have often ordered disclosure of aggregate medical data in public interest. The 20 July protest saw clashes between protesters and police over a separate issue, the use of pellet guns, which can cause blindness, has been controversial since the 2016 JNU protests. What matters next is whether the Central Information Commission will order AIIMS to release the count, or whether the government will voluntarily disclose the figures across all hospitals. Watch for: the next RTI appeal hearing or a parliamentary question on pellet gun injuries during the 20 July protest. ## Coverage - nationalheraldindia.com The story leads with an opposition allegation that the government is suppressing pellet gun injury figures, and highlights AIIMS' refusal to provide a simple count, framing it as a cover-up. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: AIIMS, Delhi, Jantar Mantar, pellet guns, RTI, Saket Gokhale Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/aiims-refuses-rti-details-on-jantar-mantar-pellet-injuries-gokhale/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/aiims-refuses-rti-details-on-jantar-mantar-pellet-injuries-gokhale/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/