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

Following the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) decision to cancel the 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“The official communication is yet to come, but the FIRs are likely to be withdrawn now,” New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sachin Sharma said. However, the officer refused to comment on allegations that excessive force was used during the July 20 Parliament protest march, the identification of police officers in plain clothes and without badges, and allegations that women were harassed that day.

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

3 police officers were injured

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 DCP said. The police then resorted to lathi charge and tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd.

About 5 kilometers from the protest site, police detained nearly 400 people in the last three days for unlawful assembly in the South-East district alone under Article 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Approximately 150 people were detained on Saturday alone.

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

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

“There are many deepfake videos created by AI, like those of Sonam Wangchuk and Army Lieutenant General Rajeev Puri. These videos show partial information with distorted content to mislead people,” said Rohit Rajbir Singh, DCP, central district.