Delhi Police Defends Jantar Mantar Protest Action In SC

The affidavit was filed because the protest was unauthorized and the move of students to protest near Parliament had made it unlawful on the part of an “unlawful assembly”. This happened since prior permission for the rally had not been obtained.

Nail-Fitted Lathi Allegations Rejected by Delhi Police

The police rubbished claims of cops being equipped with nail-fitted lathis. They provided footage wherein a solitary video was presented that showed something carried by a demonstrator carrying possibly a national flag, while calling it merely “just a single solitary video”. Police denied that they used lathis studded with nails to injure any demonstrator. This fact was reiterated because none of the documented medical certificates recorded any such injuries.

Regarding the use of facial recognition technology, also currently under scrutiny, the police asserted that the system does not automatically create or store profiles of protesters without criminal backgrounds. It merely provides alerts when suspected repeat offenders are identified, after which ground-level police verify their information.

Plainclothes Spotters Deployed For Security

The presence of men in civilian dresses present in crowd control mechanisms also drew serious accusations against police personnel. They were referred to as “spotters.” According to the report, the Special Branch, the Special Cell, the Crime Branch, and men in local administration were deployed in close proximity, mingling in the crowd of students in order to be in a position to spot any anti-social activities, criminal activity in order to immediately offer assistance to anyone facing nuisance. 

It stated that deploying men in plain clothes was a regular occurrence, especially on days of large rallies and events like January 26th or 15th August gatherings and these were neither inappropriate nor illegal.

Barricade Breach Triggered Graded Force Use

The police report stated that the protest started off in a completely calm atmosphere, nevertheless it turned hostile when the students commenced marching ahead, towards Parliament and broke barricades. Henceforth “graded forces” were used in an attempt to de-escalate the situation and maintain law and order at the spot, and those that were applied proportionate to the situation on ground.

Police cited that anti-social elements or “history-sheeters” have infiltrated into the protests and have also become a contributing factor for this escalated situation.