The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, chaired by BJP MP Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, was meeting to deliberate on the subject of ‘Crime Against Children’, with officials from four Ministries present for the discussion. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
A heated exchange broke out in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) after Opposition members demanded a discussion on alleged police excesses during the July 20 protest in Delhi, including the alleged use of pellet guns.
The committee, chaired by BJP MP Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, was meeting to deliberate on the subject of ‘Crime Against Children’, with officials from four Ministries present for the discussion. However, minutes after the meeting commenced at 11 a.m., senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Maken raised a letter he had written to the chairperson earlier, seeking that all other agenda items be set aside to discuss what he described as the “excessive use of force” by the Delhi Police during last month’s youth-led protests in Jantar Mantar.
Summarising the contents of his letter, Mr. Maken said that security personnel had used pellet guns, deployed barricades that delivered electric shocks, and resorted to lathi-charge against protesters. He further claimed that a truck loaded with stones had been parked near Jantar Mantar to implicate demonstrators, and alleged that several police personnel were operating without name tags while some individuals in civilian clothes were seen using lathis against protesters.
Mr. Agarwal rejected the request, saying that the matter was sub judice and therefore could not be taken up by the committee under parliamentary rules. He also referred to directions issued by the Supreme Court and noted that a committee appointed by the apex court is already examining the issues.
The ruling prompted strong objections from Opposition members, including Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, TMC leader Derek O’Brien, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, among others, who argued that the committee should discuss the allegations given their public significance.
Political slugfest
The debate, according to sources, then widened into a political slugfest between members of the ruling and Opposition parties. BJP MP Tarun Chugh referred to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and argued that allegations of police excesses from that period had never been adequately investigated. Congress member Jai Prakash countered that if State-related issues were being discussed, instances of alleged fake police encounters under BJP governments, including in Haryana, should also be examined.
The two members then engaged in a shouting match, prompting intervention by the chairperson.
Seeking to restore order, Mr. Agarwal proposed that the committee could, at a later stage, consider discussing the framing of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) governing police action during protests. Opposition members agreed to the suggestion.
Published – August 25, 2026 10:07 pm IST
