Senior Delhi Police Officer Removed from Jantar Mantar After Allegedly Slapping Woman Protester
A senior Delhi Police officer, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sandeep Lamba, has been removed from the Jantar Mantar protest site after he was seen slapping a female protester during a march by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on July 20.
The incident occurred as thousands of CJP supporters gathered for the 'Chalo Sansad' march, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET medical entrance examination. Video footage showed Lamba slapping a woman who appeared to be standing still.
Former Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale filed a police complaint against Lamba on Thursday, stating that the Delhi High Court had noted that no FIR had been lodged despite allegations of police brutality. 'Yesterday, in the Delhi High Court, the Government's answer to the petitions on police brutality was that nobody had approached the police for an FIR. So today I filed a police complaint,' Gokhale said on social media.
The incident was also raised during a hearing in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday, where senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing petitioners, urged the court to hold Lamba accountable. 'Additional DCP Sandeep Lamba is seen slapping a woman who is doing nothing. She is not moving. I can show the video right now. Let us not be scared to name our thugs in uniform when they deserve to be named,' Sankaranarayanan told a bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia.
The court issued notice on public interest litigations (PILs) filed by Umesh Kumar and Anshul Kumar, seeking action against excessive force used against protesters. The court directed the police, central government, and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to file counter affidavits within four weeks. It also ordered authorities to preserve all relevant records, including CCTV footage and videography.
The protest on July 20 saw police using tear gas shells, sticks, and batons to disperse the crowd, despite the demonstrators not having permission to march to Parliament. Some protesters and police personnel sustained minor injuries. The CJP later met Union Health Minister JP Nadda and submitted a list of demands, including the resignation of Minister Pradhan.
The Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical political outfit, was launched in May by Abhijeet Dipke following a controversy over Chief Justice of India Surya Kant's 'parasites' and 'cockroaches' remark. The party quickly gained millions of followers online and attracted support from opposition politicians, activists, and artists. Dipke returned to India from the US in June to lead protests against exam irregularities. Activist Sonam Wangchuk also joined the protests, staging an indefinite hunger strike before being hospitalised.
