Home Affairs panel defers debate on July 20 Delhi protest police action

At an 11 a.m. meeting of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Home Affairs, Congress MP Ajay Maken asked for a discussion on alleged police excesses during the July 20 youth-led protest at Jantar Mantar.

Maken said police and security personnel had used pellet guns, electrified barricades and lathis, and made further allegations about stones near the protest site, officers without name tags and people in civilian clothes using lathis. The claims are being examined through court-linked proceedings.

Committee chairperson Radha Mohan Das Agarwal rejected the request, saying the matter was sub judice and that a Supreme Court-appointed committee was already examining it. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, TMC leader Derek O’Brien, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule were among Opposition members who objected.

The exchange widened into arguments between ruling-party and Opposition members before Agarwal suggested that the panel could later consider a standard operating procedure for police action during protests. Opposition members agreed. The July 20 police action is also the subject of a proposed Supreme Court panel.