India, Aug. 24 -- There is no better illustration of the state of accountability in India today than the absence of a one-line answer to a simple question: who ordered the firing of pellet guns on protesting students?

Students protesting in the national capital were fired upon by the Rapid Action Force (RAF) with pellet guns - weapons ordinarily associated with riot control in militancy-affected areas such as Jammu and Kashmir. An RTI response to Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale revealed that at least ten young people were injured by pellets, based on records from only two hospitals, with more data awaited.

This is significant because the Delhi Police had denied that pellet guns were used at all. Union Health Minister JP Nadda repeated tha...