CJP protest: The Supreme Court on Wednesday set up a five-member high-powered panel to probe the July 20 NEET protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party in New Delhi.
Retired apex court judge Justice R Subhash Reddy will head the committee, which will examine allegations of police excesses against protesters.
On Tuesday, a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Baghchi and V Mohana said video footage and CCTV recordings of the violence during the July 20 protest march would also be handed over to the probe panel.
Who are the members of the High-Power Inquiry Committee?
Other members of the panel are former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court judge Justice Shalinder Kaur, former CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla and retired Meghalaya DGP Dr LR Bishnoi.
The panel will investigate allegations involving the excessive use of pellet guns, electric batons, lathi charges and tear gas, as well as alleged violence against women protesters and police surveillance. It will assess the proportionality of the crowd-control measures and examine the medical assistance and compensation provided to victims. The committee will also hear authorities’ claims of violence against police personnel and damage to public property.
Clashes broke out during the July 20 Parliament march led by the Cockroach Janta Party, as protesters confronted security personnel, including the Delhi Police and RAF. The forces used batons and tear gas to stop the crowd from advancing towards Parliament, while pellet guns were also allegedly deployed.
Delhi Police denies excessive use of force
The Supreme Court set up the probe committee two days after the Delhi Police defended its actions during the July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest and denied excessive use of force against demonstrators.
Delhi Police informed the apex court that it adopted a “graded” response after the protest ceased to remain peaceful, as sections of the crowd broke through barricades and tried to proceed towards Parliament.
DCP Sachin Sharma said claims of excessive force were not justified given the scale of the protest. He said about 5,000 police personnel were deployed to handle a crowd of over 30,000 protesters across an area spanning nearly three kilometres.