Delhi Police families demand probe into Jantar Mantar violence during CJP protest

Families of four injured Delhi Police personnel faced cameras at the Constitution Club on Friday, their demand precise: a transparent, court-monitored probe into the clashes that erupted at Jantar Mantar during the Cockroach Janta Party's protest against the NEET-UG paper leak.

The press conference, held a day after the Delhi government announced it would not pursue cases against student protesters but would investigate those with criminal backgrounds, brought forward accounts that have largely been absent from the dominant narrative — the injuries sustained by police deployed at the barricades.

What we can verify

Kunjal, daughter of a sub-inspector with 15 years' prior service as a Navy marine commando, said her father returned home on July 25 around 10 pm, his uniform soaked in blood. He had been deployed at the frontline barricade at Jantar Mantar and was attacked around 2 pm, remaining unconscious in hospital for nearly four hours. "The next day, I saw on social media that protesters were calling my father and other police personnel criminals and were approaching court. That's when I decided to seek justice through the courts," she told reporters.

Seema, wife of an assistant sub-inspector injured on July 20 during CJP's 'Sansad Chalo' march, described her husband coming home with a head injury and a shattered helmet. "Someone later told us that had he not been wearing his helmet, he would not have survived," she said. Her husband, a 33-year veteran, had warned her that morning the crowd was becoming unmanageable.

Lakshya Bisht, son of an assistant commissioner of police, received a photograph of his father with a shaved patch of scalp and four stitches after he was injured on July 25 while trying to shield senior officers from stone-pelting. "My father said rowdy and disruptive elements had exploited the protest and tried to create mayhem. The stone-pelting began suddenly while he was briefing his staff," Lakshya said.

Upneet Kaur, whose husband is also an ACP, confirmed he sustained a head injury on July 20. "He returned home with a head injury that night. It was traumatic," she said.

All four families alleged that anti-social elements had infiltrated the protest and attacked police personnel. They said they intend to approach the courts for a monitored investigation.

The Delhi government's July 30 order stated that while no action would be taken against students who participated in the protest, individuals with criminal records found to have infiltrated the gatherings would be investigated. The families said this acknowledgment validated their stand but demanded the probe extend to identifying who orchestrated the violence.

What remains unverified

The exact number of police personnel injured across the two major clash dates (July 20 and July 25) has not been officially released by Delhi Police. The families' claim that "anti-social elements" were distinct from the student protesters relies on their relatives' accounts and has not been independently established by a court or inquiry committee. Video footage circulating on social media shows chaotic scenes at the barricades but does not conclusively identify the individuals involved in stone-pelting or the sequence of escalation.

The Indian Express's video report from the press conference and News Pinch's ground interviews with the sub-inspector's daughter and the ACP's wife corroborate the families' statements on the record. No statement from CJP leadership responding to these specific allegations was available at press time.