Delhi Police, however, said that the video claiming to show the situation outside the protest site at 7 am is old and was originally captured during the party’s earlier demonstration on July 20. A video has surfaced on social media claiming to show a huge crowd outside Jantar Mantar ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) planned protest at Jantar Mantar against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
The party has just begun. Delhi Police replied to the tweet and wrote, “Old video alert! Additionally, barricades and spike strips have been installed at several locations, sparking social media conversations about excessive restrictions across the city. In response to the chatter, the police issued a statement on social media . “We want to put the security precautions and restrictions put in place in Delhi and around Jantar Mantar in proper perspective. People have a right to protest. At the same time, important establishments and the offices of the constitutional bodies are in New Delhi. People living and working in Delhi should be able to go about their day safely too. Delhi police have a responsibility towards all of these. We also have to take into account what happened last time in July protests at Jantar Mantar. Permission was taken for a one-day protest at Jantar Mantar, but it continued for a month. As the situation went out of control, there were clashes, and innocent students were injured too. Nobody wants to see that happen again. The people who come to a protest, the police personnel on duty and the people passing through the area all need to be safe. Now, the same group wants to gather at the same place again. Given that experience, permission cannot be given without addressing how safety will be ensured. Already, in the past week, women constables of Delhi Police have been molested and assaulted by those protesting at Jantar Mantar. That is deeply troubling, and it has to be taken seriously. There is also a practical issue here. Delhi is a small city-state, and there are limits to how many people a particular location can safely accommodate. Delhi being capital of the fastest growing economy of the country cannot be brought to halt everytime there are protests. Delhi Police has to look after well-being of citizens and economic interests alongside the interests of those who want to protest.
An X user posted, “It’s 7 in the morning. More than 40,000 Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel have been deployed in Delhi. More than 200 police personnel were injured. More than 2000 persons having criminal antecedents came to those protests, contributing to the violence. Jantar Mantar is a small area which can only accommodate 1,000 people at a time.
