Six policemen injured, CJP denies protesters’ role in violence

At least six Delhi Police personnel, including two Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs), were injured after violence erupted during the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest near Jantar Mantar. Investigators alleged that stone-pelting and assaults by protesters led to multiple injuries and prompted a criminal investigation.

Delhi Police registered FIRs in connection with the attacks on security personnel. They launched a probe to identify those involved using CCTV footage, AI-enabled surveillance cameras, video clips and other technical evidence. Officials claimed several “anti-social elements” infiltrated the protest and triggered the violence despite repeated appeals to maintain peace.

ACP Vivek Bhagat of Connaught Place also sustained multiple injuries during another stone-pelting incident later in the evening near Tolstoy Marg. According to Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Bhagat suffered multiple bruises on his upper and lower limbs, shoulder injuries and swelling at the back of his head. Doctors also recorded complaints of ear bleeding and vomiting. After receiving initial treatment at RML Hospital, Bhagat opted to continue his treatment at AIIMS. Another ACP from Punjabi Bagh, Jai Prakash, was also attacked at the protest site.

Police said the violence was not limited to senior officers. Inspector Nand Kishor Singh alleged that a group of around 100 to 150 protesters attacked him while he was walking towards his deployment point near Jantar Mantar on Wednesday night.

“There were around 4,000 to 5,000 people gathered there. They were raising anti-police and anti-government slogans. I thought they were students, and I was going to perform my duty. They assaulted me with lathis, sticks, stones and whatever sharp objects they had in their hands. I somehow managed to escape. I was in uniform when they attacked me,” Singh said. A video of the alleged assault, showing the inspector surrounded by a large crowd as he attempted to flee, later surfaced on social media. Sharing the clip, Delhi Police appealed for restraint, stating, “A uniform does not make a person feel less pain. Behind every badge is a beating heart, a family and a promise to serve.”

In a separate incident, Delhi Police also registered an FIR after protesters allegedly assaulted two Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel at the Tolstoy Marg-Parliament Street intersection. A 35-second video circulating online shows one RAF officer falling to the ground before being kicked and punched by members of the crowd. Both personnel were hospitalised and are undergoing treatment.

Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Devesh Chandra Srivastva visited the injured personnel at RML Hospital on Thursday and reviewed their condition. Security remained heightened across the New Delhi and Central districts, with additional police and paramilitary personnel deployed around Jantar Mantar and other sensitive locations.

Meanwhile, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke denied that protesters were responsible for the violence, alleging that outsiders had infiltrated the demonstration to defame the month-long agitation.