The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to urgently hear a petition demanding that security forces had committed a “crucially disproportionate response” against protesters during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) march to Parliament in the national capital yesterday.
In a hearing held on the day, the bench orally said that one had to be careful not to wrap up the court in all this and refusal to take up it on an urgent basis.
The petition came after the police had used tear gas to break the anti-CAA protest in the Khanqah area, Monday, the day the Monsoon Session of Parliament began, and had deployed lathis to disperse anti-CAA protesters. The security forces barred the protest leaders from approaching Parliament, but some protesters reportedly converged at various places in the heart of the Delhi Parliamentary Gobryao.
There was also a claim that the protesters were shot at by police with pellet guns during the crackdown, which was supported by the Cockroach Janta Party. The Union government categorises the guns as non-lethal weapons for crowd control, while the rounds are rubber or plastic pellets which are capable of causing serious injuries if used at close range.
But the Delhi-Police refuted this claim saying that during the raid, no pellet guns were used. The police went on to say that the protesters had become violent, destroyed public property and had engaged in extensive violence calling it necessary to restore order.
On Tuesday, the CJP further claimed that a police official slapped a 10- to 11-year-old boy during the protest. The authorities have not responded to this particular charge.
The protest was conducted to demand the resignation of Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on the allegation of the leak of NEET and various other exams. Political response has been seen to the incident as opposition involved have begun questioning the police action, while the government have affirmed their security responses during the demonstration.