Delhi Police dismisses Jantar Mantar stone-pelting claims as ‘false, misleading’

The Delhi Police denied claims of stone-pelting and police action circulating on social media, calling the videos and allegations “false and misleading” and urging citizens not to share unverified information.

In a post on X, DCP New Delhi said, “There are various videos circulating on social media claiming incidents of stone pelting and police action today. These claims are false and misleading. No such incident has taken place today. Citizens are requested not to believe or share such videos and are advised to rely only on official sources for authentic information and updates.”

The clarification came as protesters remained at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday, continuing their demonstration a day after clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces in Delhi during the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march.

Thousands of supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and students had marched from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament on Monday, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities, including the NEET-UG paper leak controversy.

The police had imposed prohibitory orders and placed barricades along the route to prevent the march from reaching Parliament.

After security personnel dismantled the protest stage and tents at Jantar Mantar, demonstrators returned to the site on Tuesday following a call from the CJP to continue the agitation. A heavy deployment of Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel remained in place at the protest venue.

CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said the protesters would continue their agitation until their demand for Pradhan’s resignation was addressed. Speaking to IANS, Ranka alleged that protesters, including students and volunteers, faced police action during Monday’s confrontation and claimed that several people were injured.

He said the movement would continue and attract more participants following what he described as the “brutality” of the police action. Ranka also alleged that women protesters, including Geetanjali J. Angmo, the wife of activist Sonam Wangchuk, were mistreated during the clashes.

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