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Providing the first official law enforcement briefing on the high-intensity demonstrations in central Delhi, the Delhi Police on Monday confirmed they resorted to crowd-control measures following instances of violence, including stone-pelting, from the crowd.
Speaking to ANI, Madhur Verma, the Joint Commissioner of Police (Joint CP) for the Central Range, stated that the student march toward Parliament had violated active prohibitory orders, transforming the gathering into an unauthorised congregation that required immediate police intervention. "There was an unlawful assembly that had to be dealt with; there were some incidents of stone-pelting, and the Delhi Police have detained some protesters. Appropriate action is being taken," he told ANI. More than 50 police and paramilitary personnel were injured in today's violence, including IPS and DANIPS officers, as CJP embarked on a protest march to Parliament, Delhi Police sources said on Monday. Police are registering cases regarding the violence. Sources said that police detained several protesters and individuals involved in the violence from various locations. The police will identify other individuals involved in the violence based on video footage, the sources said. They said ten IPS and DANIS officers are among those injured in the violence. The sources said the police have over 40 videos and many among those responsible for the violence had covered their faces with cloth. They said that there could be an increase in the number of injured police officials as some of them are in the process of getting their treatment started. Meanwhile, Delhi Police on Monday appealed to all protestors to maintain peace, exercise restraint and cooperate with the police in ensuring peace and public order. "All participants are requested to conduct themselves peacefully, refrain from indulging in any unlawful or violent activities and comply with the lawful directions issued by police officers/personnel deployed on duty," Delhi Police said in a post on X. The police also advised people not to believe or circulate rumours, misinformation or unverified content through any platform."Citizens are requested to rely only on authentic sources of information and extend their cooperation to Delhi Police in maintaining peace, harmony and public order," the post added. A delegation of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) met the Union Health Minister on Monday over its demands. The Union minister appealed to the protesters to end their sit-in. Nadda, who is Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, said in a post on X that this morning, for the first time, a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government. He said discussions began around 11:50 am and the meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere. "There was detailed verbal discussion first, and a written petition was given to me at about 4 pm. I requested all the protesters to end their protest and assist the administration in restoring normalcy," he added. Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) chief spokesperson Saurav Das said they placed three demands before Nadda, including the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of the NEET aspirants, "more than 20 of whom have lost their lives".He said activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is in a hospital, should be "released immediately". Das said that the protest will continue till Dharmendra Pradhan resigns." "We met JP Nadda twice. During the meeting, we stated our three demands. First, that Sonam Wangchuk be released immediately... Second, we demand that Dharmendra Pradhan must resign; he should either be dismissed from the Cabinet or resign voluntarily. The protest will continue until his resignation is secured. Third, we demand compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of the NEET aspirants, more than 20 of whom have lost their lives. We approached JP Nadda regarding these demands," Das told ANI. Das also made a post about the demands in a post on X . He said they were at Nadda's residence for about four hours."The demands have been conveyed, including immediate resignation/sacking of Dharmendra Pradhan," he said. "The Minister assured us he will discuss this at the appropriate level. However, no commitments have been made so far. The peaceful protesters will not rest until the demand is met!" Das said. The monsoon session of Parliament began on a stormy note on Monday with the opposition forcing adjournments in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha over its demands, including on the NEET-UG exam leak. (ANI)
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