New Delhi: The Delhi Police has rejected allegations that its personnel used excessive force during the July 20 protest at Jantar Mantar led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over the alleged NEET question paper leak.
In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the police said the gathering, attended by more than 30,000 people, began peacefully but later turned violent after demonstrators breached barricades. The force said it was compelled to adopt a graded response to regain control of the situation.
The affidavit was submitted as a consolidated reply to four petitions seeking a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into alleged police excesses during the agitation.
According to the police, the protesters had occupied an area stretching nearly three kms, while approximately 5,000 personnel were deployed for crowd management. The situation, it said, became increasingly difficult to handle once the barricades were broken and the gathering threatened to spill on to neighbouring areas.
The police claimed that more than 240 of its personnel were injured in the clashes, while around 200 protesters also sustained injuries. It further alleged that anti-social elements and history-sheeters present in the crowd contributed to the violence, as reported by DNA.
The force said its personnel were primarily tasked with containing the gathering and preventing it from spreading beyond the designated protest area.
Police Deny Use Of Spiked Batons
Following the protest, allegations emerged that police had used pellet guns and nail-studded lathis against demonstrators.
Responding to the allegation involving spiked batons, Delhi Police said video footage had captured only one such object and maintained that it was being carried by a protester. The affidavit said the object was a stick attached to the National Flag, and not a weapon used by police personnel.
The police defended the use of tear gas and a limited lathi charge, saying these measures were adopted only after other attempts to control the crowd failed. It also claimed that some demonstrators had attacked police officers without provocation.
“All measures were taken strictly in accordance with permissible modes of controlling violence,” the affidavit states.
Plainclothes Staff, Facial Recognition Defended
The police also justified the presence of plainclothes personnel carrying lathis among the protesters. It identified them as “spotters” drawn from the Special Branch, Special Cell, Crime Branch and local police units.
According to the affidavit, these officers had merged with the crowd because of the rapidly changing circumstances. Delhi Police said such arrangements were lawful and routinely used during major public events, including Independence Day and Republic Day functions.
The force maintained that the plainclothes personnel formed part of the overall crowd-control operation and were not deployed as a separate unit to target protesters.
Delhi Police further described the use of facial-recognition technology at the site as a “proportionate policing measure”. It denied conducting indiscriminate surveillance or creating profiles of everyone who attended the protest.
The system, it said, was used only to identify individuals suspected of involvement in serious offences. People with minor violations, including traffic challans, were excluded. The police added that no action was taken solely on the basis of a facial-recognition match, with each identification subjected to verification by personnel on the ground.
