118 police, 60 protesters injured; 70 detained as protest turns violent

More than 118 police personnel sustained injuries, including senior officers of the ranks of Special Commissioner of Police, Joint Commissioner of Police, Additional Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police and Assistant Commissioner of Police, besides several women police personnel.

The scuffle, around 60 protesters were also reported to get injured. The medico-legal examination (MLC) of the remaining injured police personnel is underway. The violent mob also caused extensive damage to public property. Around 15 to 20 government vehicles, along with other government property, were vandalised during the incident. Around 70 protesters have been detained.

Appropriate legal action is being initiated, and an FIR is being registered under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and other applicable laws for rioting, assault on public servants, damage to public property and other offences committed during the protest. The clash erupted after CJP protesters allegedly pelted stones at security personnel near Parliament Street and other locations in the New Delhi district. Security forces responded with lathi-charges and tear gas at several points, including near Shastri Bhawan, Raisina Road, Constitution Club, and Connaught Place. Videos circulating on social media showed protesters with blood on their faces and heads, and police caning demonstrators as crowds attempted to breach multilayer barricades. Police said all videos were being verified and legal action would follow.

According to police, those detained following clashes during a protest in the national Capital were not students and their identities were being verified, even as authorities stepped up investigation into the violence.

A senior police officer requesting anonymity said the people detained in connection with the unrest were “not students at all”, with their personal details and antecedents being verified by the police. The officer said Delhi Police had initiated the process of registering FIRs in connection with the clashes, damage to police vehicles and destruction of public property during the protest.

The injured police personnel and protesters were taken to hospitals for treatment. At Connaught Place, which became the final and most violent flashpoint of the day, at least three to four security force vehicles were damaged with broken windshields and shattered windows. Shops pulled shutters, tourists were asked to vacate, and the Inner and Outer Circles were effectively sealed by evening.

Thousands had converged on central Delhi despite prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which bars unlawful assemblies in the New Delhi district except at designated protest sites with prior permission.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma had clarified beforehand that no permission had been sought or granted for any march. Despite this, protesters attempted repeatedly to breach barricades at multiple points, walking kilometres and regrouping through inner lanes each time they were dispersed.

Delhi Police issued multiple denials through the day. It rejected CJP allegations that Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo had been assaulted and her hair pulled: “Reports circulating on social media claiming that the wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was assaulted and had her hair pulled by Delhi Police personnel are completely false and misleading.” It also denied that CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke had been detained, saying he was “available on stage.”

The police also appealed for calm: “All participants are requested to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner, refrain from indulging in any unlawful or violent activities and comply with the lawful directions issued by police officers.”

Inside Parliament, Lok Sabha was adjourned multiple times amid opposition sloganeering over the NEET paper leak. CJP’s Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka met JP Nadda, submitted demands, and said no commitments had been made. Security remained heightened across central Delhi until late evening, with additional paramilitary companies deployed at Parliament Street, Central Vista, Jantar Mantar, and Connaught Place to prevent further escalation.