Delhi Police Officers Linked To Jantar Mantar Protest Handling Transferred

Two senior Delhi Police officers who were involved in handling the Jantar Mantar protests have been transferred in a reshuffle ordered by the Delhi Government, days after allegations of police excesses during the July 20 agitation came under renewed scrutiny.

Raja Banthia, a 2014-batch IPS officer who was serving as Deputy Commissioner of Police (North District), has been posted as DCP, Technical & PI, according to an August 18 order issued by the Home Department, The Tribune reported.

Banthia was the North Delhi DCP when the Cockroach Janta Party-led demonstration at Jantar Mantar escalated into clashes on July 20. His name later surfaced in reports concerning the alleged use of pellet guns during police action against protesters.

Police records cited in media reports identified the DCP North in connection with the episode. Banthia, however, is learnt to have told senior officers that he was not present at Jantar Mantar when the alleged pellet firing occurred. An internal inquiry into the matter is reportedly underway.

The transfer order itself does not describe Banthia's posting as disciplinary or establish any connection between the reshuffle and the pellet gun allegations.

Deepak Purohit, a 2007-batch IPS officer who was serving as Joint Commissioner of Police, New Delhi Range, has also been moved. He has been appointed Joint Commissioner of Police, Licensing.

Purohit was among the senior officers involved in security and law-and-order arrangements surrounding the Jantar Mantar agitation, including preparations ahead of the protesters' proposed march towards Parliament on July 20.

He had also attended a meeting chaired by Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Devesh Chandra Srivastava to review the operation to shift Wangchuk to hospital and assess the situation at Jantar Mantar. Other senior officers were also present at the meeting.

The August 18 transfer order, which covers 43 officers, does not state that Purohit's transfer is connected to the protest or subsequent allegations against the police.

Several other officers associated with the operation, including DCP New Delhi Sachin Sharma, have not been transferred under the same order.

Supreme Court Scrutiny Over Police Action

The reshuffle comes amid growing scrutiny of the police response to the July 20 protest.

On August 18, the Supreme Court said a high-powered committee would examine allegations of excessive police action during the demonstration.

Questions over the use of crowd-control weapons have also intensified following Right to Information responses obtained by Trinamool Congress national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale.

According to the RTI responses, medical staff at two Delhi government hospitals treated at least 10 protesters for injuries described as resulting from "pellet, shots or projectile injuries" following the July 20 march.

The disclosures came around three weeks after security personnel used lathis and tear gas against student protesters attempting to march from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament. Demonstrators subsequently alleged that pellet guns were also used during the police action.

Delhi Police has denied using pellet guns, saying such weapons are not part of its armoury. Crowd-control weapons capable of firing pellets, however, have been part of the arsenal of the Rapid Action Force.

Pellet guns were introduced by security forces, including state police and the Central Reserve Police Force, for crowd control in Jammu and Kashmir around 2010 and have faced criticism over serious injuries, including cases of blindness.

Hospitals Confirm Pellet Injuries

Lady Hardinge Medical College, in an RTI response dated August 7, said it had treated nine people for "pellet, shots or projectile injuries".

The hospital received 81 injured people in connection with the protest, including 35 police personnel and 46 protesters. According to the RTI response, the 46 protesters "presented independently", while the injured police officers were brought to the hospital by police.

Safdarjung Hospital, in a separate RTI response also dated August 7, confirmed treating one patient for pellet-related injuries.

The hospital records have added another layer to the dispute over what crowd-control equipment was used during the July 20 action, even as Delhi Police continues to deny firing pellet guns.