Stone fingerprints from Delhi protest to be linked to Aadhaar: BJP minister

Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil has claimed that Delhi Police collected fingerprints from stones allegedly used during a protest in the national capital, and that these would be matched against Aadhaar numbers to identify those involved.

Patil, the Higher and Technical Education Minister, made the remarks at a press conference in Kolhapur on Thursday, July 30. His comments drew a sharp, mocking response from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, who said he would suggest Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recommend Patil's name for the Nobel Prize in scientific research.

The protest in question was led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which held a month-long agitation at Jantar Mantar in Delhi over examination paper leaks. The demonstration escalated into clashes, barricade breaches and stone-pelting, with the most intense violence on July 20, when thousands of protesters attempted a "Sansad Chalo" march to Parliament, leading to clashes in which both demonstrators and security personnel were injured.

Patil said Delhi Police have prepared a detailed report, using what he described as advanced technology, to establish the involvement of protesters with criminal antecedents and alleged foreign links.

"The Delhi Police have prepared a detailed report that will stun everyone. It contains an analysis based on advanced technology showing how people facing criminal charges and foreign elements were involved in the protest. They have collected even the smallest stones used during the protest," he said.

"The fingerprints found on them will be linked with the Aadhaar number for their identification and to check their past records. The police will substantiate their claims based on the report," Patil added.

He further claimed that police had analysed the criminal backgrounds of those detained, categorised protesters with criminal cases according to the nature of the offences, and were compiling a separate database of such individuals. The minister also indicated that action would be taken against anti-social elements and those with criminal records who participated in the protest.

Reacting to Patil's remarks, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut mocked the minister, saying Fadnavis should recommend Patil's name to the Nobel Prize Committee "for such an extraordinary scientific innovation."

"Patil holds the Higher and Technical Education portfolio, which certainly includes science. Such innovation deserves a Nobel Prize recommendation," Raut told reporters.