CJP Protests: Top cop visits injured police; ACP hurt in clashes

A top Delhi Police officer visited personnel injured in CJP protests at Jantar Mantar, where over 100 have been hurt since Monday. The CJP demands Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over paper leaks, alleging police brutality on protesters.

Police Personnel Injured in Clashes

Special Commissioner of Police (L&O, Zone-I) Devesh Chandra Srivastava visited Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital to inquire about the police personnel injured during the CJP protests at Jantar Mantar on July 22. While there, he interacted with the injured policemen, who had been hospitalised following a showdown between officials and protesters.

A day earlier, a Delhi Police officer was injured in fresh clashes in Connaught Place on Wednesday, when miscreants attacked police with stones and bottles, officials said. According to Delhi Police, at around 8:30 pm, near Tolstoy Marg in Connaught Place, the attack left ACP Connaught Place Vivek Bhagat injured.

Over 100 Cops Hurt, CJP Alleges 'Brutality'

To maintain law and order for large crowds, heavy security has been deployed at Jantar Mantar in the national capital, where the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is continuing its protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the recent paper leaks controversy. The protests have left over 100 police personnel injured since Monday morning, according to Delhi Police, while CJP activists and opposition leaders have countered that the police crackdown on students amounts to excess force and "brutality."

CJP activist Abhijeet Dipke accused male Delhi Police personnel of violence against women, alleging that a two-member CJP delegation's meeting with Union Health Minister JP Nadda during the march was used to "trap" activists while police conducted a "lathi-charge" on protesters.

"Yesterday, the whole country saw how brutally the Delhi Police cracked the heads of even 12-year-old girls. The police beat the girls, tore their clothes, and stepped on their chests. And all this was done by male police officers. No female police officer touched any girl; all those who raised their hands were male police officers. Male police officers beat the girls and grabbed their throats. The Delhi Police and the Modi government, who gave these orders, should be ashamed. This government has established hooliganism in the country; it is not worthy of being called a government; these people are dictators," he said.

Protest Fallout Reaches Parliament

The fallout from these protests has reached Parliament as well, where both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have witnessed several adjournments amid a deadlock between the Centre and the Opposition during the Monsoon Session, with the INDIA bloc seeking Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation and insisting on a discussion on the NEET-UG paper leak. Amid this impasse, the government has stated that it is ready for debate, but that opposition members should not attach new conditions, while Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, said Pradhan should resign for a fair discussion to take place.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)