New Delhi: The Delhi Police has denied allegations of excessive and illegal force during the July 20 Sansad Chalo protest organised by the Civil Judgement Party (CJP), telling the Supreme Court that the situation turned violent after demonstrators breached multiple barricades and attempted to move towards Parliament.
In its counter affidavit, the police said more than 30,000 protesters were spread across nearly three kilometres, while around 5,000 personnel were deployed to manage the gathering. The force claimed that more than 240 police personnel and uniformed officers were injured, while around 200 protesters and members of the public underwent medico legal examinations.
The police maintained that the march towards Parliament had not been granted permission and that prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were in force in the New Delhi district. According to the affidavit, repeated warnings to disperse were ignored before protesters crossed barricades and allegedly attacked police personnel and damaged public property.
The force also rejected allegations that police used lathis fitted with nails. It claimed that footage showing such an object depicted a stick carrying the National Flag being held by a protester. Police said tear gas and a limited lathi charge were used only after other crowd control measures failed.
The affidavit also defended the deployment of plain clothes “spotters” from specialised police units, saying they were positioned within the crowd to monitor developments during the rapidly escalating situation.
The Delhi Police further defended its use of facial recognition technology, stating that matches were followed by physical verification and were not treated as conclusive evidence on their own. It claimed 2,873 people identified during the operation had criminal cases registered against them.
The police said it would cooperate with any inquiry ordered by the Supreme Court into whether its response was proportionate. The July 20 protest had been held over the NEET paper leak and included demands for the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
