Delhi Police likely to withdraw FIRs as agitation ends, says DCP

Following the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) decision to call off its 36-day Jantar Mantar protest, Delhi Police is likely to withdraw all FIRs registered in connection with the agitation, officials said on Saturday.

“The official communication is yet to come, but the FIRs are likely to be withdrawn now,” said Sachin Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), New Delhi. The officer, however, refused to comment on the alleged use of excessive force during the July 20 Parliament protest march, the identification of police officers who were in plainclothes and without badges, and allegations that women were harassed on that day.

Another officer said the police had identified at least 2,500 people through their facial recognition system for various offences linked to the Jantar Mantar protest. “At least 15 FIRs were registered, including those involving charges of attempt to murder, rioting, voluntarily causing hurt and 10 other sections. At least 22 FIRs were registered in connection with pickpocketing cases,” the officer added.

3 policemen injured

The DCP said at least three police personnel, including a Special Commissioner, were injured in fresh stone pelting allegedly by protesters celebrating Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation at Jantar Mantar. The police later resorted to lathi charge and tear gas shelling to disperse the crowd.

About 5 km from the protest site, the police carried out detentions of around 400 people over the past three days in the South East district alone for unlawful assembly under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Around 150 people were detained on Saturday alone.

“We were going to the protest when the police caught us at a picket near Hazrat Nizamuddin police station on Saturday morning,” said Arjun Kumar, a student who was going to the protest site with four other friends. The police later released them.

Meanwhile, the police said Instagram had become a major source of disinformation and that several AI-generated videos were circulating on various social media platforms during the protest.

“There are several AI-generated deepfake videos, such as those of Sonam Wangchuk and Army Lieutenant-General Rajeev Puri. These videos show partial information with deformed content to misguide people,” said Rohit Rajbir Singh, DCP, Central district.