The Delhi Police Crime Branch has registered a fresh FIR to examine the alleged role of 2,873 people with criminal records who were identified at a July 20 ‘Chalo Sansad’ march in central Delhi, reopening the investigation into whether violence during the protest was premeditated.
The FIR was registered two days before a planned October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar. According to police sources cited by The Hindu, investigators will verify whether the individuals identified through facial recognition technology were present at the protest and whether they participated in stone-pelting, attacks on police personnel or damage to public property.
The July 20 march was called by the Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG question paper leak. Mr. Pradhan resigned on July 25, after which the party called off its month-long protest.
The Delhi Police had earlier claimed that more than 200 police personnel were injured during clashes and that over 65 protesters also sustained injuries. The police also said that more than 15 police vehicles were damaged. Investigators are now examining alleged attacks on police personnel, vandalism and damage to government and public property as part of the fresh probe.
The latest FIR follows a September 1 Supreme Court order that quashed criminal cases against protesters involved in nationwide demonstrations linked to the CJP. The court, however, permitted the police to file a “fresh and specific” FIR against 2,873 individuals with criminal antecedents who had been spotted by facial recognition technology at the Jantar Mantar protest site.
Following the court’s order, the Delhi Police cancelled 17 FIRs. The new case is intended to determine whether the people identified by the police were among those who took part in the violence, rather than treating their alleged criminal antecedents alone as proof of involvement.
Investigators will also reconstruct the sequence of events during the march to establish whether the violence was planned or whether individuals with criminal intent joined the protest and became involved in the clashes. The probe will examine whether those identified had links with student organisations and other groups involved in the agitation.
The case places the management of public demonstrations in central Delhi under renewed scrutiny. Jantar Mantar is a designated protest location where large gatherings can affect police deployment, public movement and the protection of government property. The investigation will now determine the individual roles of those identified and whether the alleged violence can be linked to a premeditated plan.
The Crime Branch’s next steps are to verify the identities and presence of the 2,873 individuals, examine their alleged involvement in the July 20 incidents and reconstruct the events surrounding the clashes, according to the police account cited in the report.
