CJP Protest: Delhi Police Says Lathi Charge Was 'Last Resort'. What Led To The Jantar Mantar Clash?
CJP Protest: Delhi Police Says Lathi Charge Was 'Last Resort'. What Led To The Jantar Mantar Clash? Published By, Last Updated: July 27, 2026, 22:19
CJP Protest: Delhi Police Says Lathi Charge Was 'Last Resort'. What Led To The Jantar Mantar Clash? Published By, Last Updated: July 27, 2026, 22:19 IST The Delhi Police said force was employed on the protesters at Jantar Mantar only after several attempts to control the situation through non-violent means. Cockroach Janta Party's protest in Jantar Mantar. (Photo: PTI) The Delhi Police has defended its use of force during the recent protest at Jantar Mantar, saying the action followed a graded response after repeated warnings, barricade breaches and an unauthorised march towards Parliament. According to Delhi Police sources, much of the reporting since July 20 has focused on visuals of baton use and tear gas without presenting the sequence of events that led to the action. While acknowledging that protesters suffered injuries, the police maintained that its response was restrained, calibrated and operationally necessary to prevent a larger law-and-order situation. Sit-in was permitted, march was not The police said permission had been granted only for a sit-in at Jantar Mantar. There was no permission for protesters to march towards Parliament or move beyond the sanctioned protest area. Officials said the protest had been facilitated for weeks and remained peaceful within the permitted limits. According to the briefing, the situation escalated only when sections of the gathering began moving towards the Parliament area, which was under heightened security because Parliament was in session.
The police maintained that the flashpoint was not the protest itself but the attempt to move into a high-security zone without permission. Police cites weeks of restraint The briefing said protesters had remained at Jantar Mantar for an extended period and were allowed to continue their demonstration without being removed from the site. According to the police, officers exercised restraint despite hooting, sloganeering, provocation and the presence of disruptive fringe elements. The police source said no attempt was made to forcibly clear the protest venue during this period. Officials argued that this reflected the police’s approach of allowing the demonstration to continue as long as it remained within the approved conditions. How the chaos unfolded? The police source said repeated public announcements were made asking protesters to remain within the sanctioned area. Despite these warnings, sections of the crowd allegedly advanced towards Parliament, breaching successive layers of barricades. Inputs attributed to sources in the Delhi Police claimed that police vehicles were damaged during the confrontation. The briefing also alleged that senior and elderly police personnel were surrounded, jostled and heckled. It further claimed that media personnel faced hooting, heckling and alleged physical and sexual harassment during the incident. ‘Force used only after repeated warnings’ The Delhi Police said force was employed only after several attempts to control the situation through non-violent means.
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