‘Don’t Drag Us Into It’: Delhi High Court On Plea Alleging Use Of Force On Students

New Delhi:

The Delhi High Court made it clear at the outset: it does not want to be “dragged” into it.

The court refused to urgently list a petition concerning the Delhi Police’s use of excessive force” against students who took part in the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest march to parliament on Monday.

“Don’t drag the court into all this,” a bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia told the petitioner.

The matter will be listed for hearing on Wednesday.

The petitioner mentioned the plea before the bench for an urgent hearing, stating that Delhi Police personnel used “excessive force” on the protesters.

Read: What The Cameras Missed At Students’ Protest March In Delhi

The protest came after activist Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly taken to hospital on Saturday, bringing an abrupt end to his 21-day hunger strike in support of the movement launched by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party, which is demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged NEET paper leak.

Read | “Preventing Paper Leaks A National Responsibility”: PM Modi On NEET Row

On Monday, the protesters, mostly young students, converged on the Jantar Mantar protest site in the heart of New Delhi, in a show of force.

The area reverberated with the booming sound of tear gas shells fired at protesters, who responded by throwing stones. Some ran for cover as police charged at the crowd, showed pictures from the protest site.

At least 178 people were injured in clashes between protesters and security officials, Delhi Police said. That included 118 police personnel, including senior officers, it said while criticising what it described as “unruly, aggressive and violent behaviour” by a “violent mob”.

“During the scuffle, around 60 protesters were also reported to get injured,” the Delhi Police said in a statement late Monday.

Protest organisers condemned the “high-handedness” of the authorities and said hundreds of protesters had been injured.

“It’s a shameful day in the history of Indian democracy that people, honest students, who had come for a genuine issue were brutally beaten by the Delhi police,” a CJP spokesperson said.

The party has vowed to press ahead with their campaign until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.

The Cockroach Janta Party emerged in May after the Supreme Court Chief Justice compared some unemployed young people to “cockroaches” during an unrelated hearing. Supporters embraced the remark, turning it into a satirical movement that has attracted millions of followers on social media. The movement has gained momentum after repeated leaks of high-stakes entrance exams for medical colleges sparked public anger.