Delhi Police File Four FIRs Amid Controversy Over Student Protest Crackdown
The Delhi Police on Tuesday registered four First Information Reports (FIRs) against unidentified individuals in connection with Monday's protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar. The FIRs include charges of rioting, assault on public servants, and damage to public property.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Anand Kumar Mishra stated that investigators are examining whether the violence was premeditated and executed in an organised manner. 'We have documented the protest through videography and are analysing CCTV footage, mobile phone recordings, drone images, and body-worn camera footage to identify those involved,' Mishra told reporters.
The protest, which aimed to march to Parliament, was dispersed by police using lathi-charge and tear gas. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal criticised the police action, drawing a controversial parallel to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. 'The police have brutally beaten students without provocation and fired tear-gas shells. Such brutality was not even unleashed by the British against freedom fighters,' Kejriwal said at a press conference.
Kejriwal also demanded that the police make public the list of FIRs and names of those detained. His demand gained significance as many people were searching for missing friends and family members after the crackdown. Addressing protesters still gathered at Jantar Mantar, Kejriwal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of calling protesters terrorists, and called Modi 'the biggest anti-national' for endangering students' futures.
All India Students’ Association (AISA) alleged that thousands of slippers, torn clothes, and bloodstains were visible at Jantar Mantar after the police action. Anjali, Delhi University AISA unit secretary, claimed that barricades were placed every 200–250 metres in central Delhi, trapping protesters in confined spaces before police used tear gas and batons. Tanvi, an AISA activist, said, 'Not only college students but also parents and school students in uniforms were beaten. The march itself was peaceful; the ruckus was created.'
The police have not yet released details of the detained individuals, and investigations are ongoing.
