Abhijit Deepki, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), said on Monday that the party would not attempt another march to Parliament, saying: “The police will hurt the youth again.”
He also accused the Delhi Police of using “brutality and cruelty” during Monday’s protest march in the national capital, alleging that police personnel assaulted student protesters and used excessive force to disperse the crowd.
“Yesterday we saw how brutally and cruelly Delhi Police beat children. They smashed the heads of 12-year-old girls. It was male police officers who did it,” Debki said.
Follow live updates: CJP protest live: Debke says ‘will not march again because police will hurt young people again’, apologizes to injured students
‘“Thugs wearing police uniforms”
“Gunde bhare the Delhi Police ki vardi mein kal (Thugs filled in Delhi Police uniform yesterday),” he further claimed, claiming that police personnel assaulted and manhandled young protesters during the demonstration.
Debke also claimed that a girl was seriously injured after being hit on the neck with a baton. “There is a girl who is still in critical condition at RML. The police hit her on the neck with a baton. Her condition is critical because she fell to the ground after being hit on the neck. Then the stampede happened. If anything happens to that girl, the Delhi Police and the Narendra Modi government are responsible,” he said.
He questioned the police’s handling of the protest, claiming that the authorities could have used water cannons instead of resorting to batons.
“If they wanted to stop the march, they could have used water cannons,” Debki said. “They’re just kids, after all. These were 17-18-year-olds. We’ve been sitting here peacefully for a month. Nothing went wrong. Yesterday, the first attack came from the Delhi Police. They used batons, and then a stampede broke out.”
Debki also raised questions about the presence of stones near the protest site, alleging that the incident was “planned and organised” by the Delhi Police.
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“Where did all those trucks full of stones come from yesterday? Delhi Police is not allowing even a bird to flap its wings here. Every single one of our members is being searched, their bags are being checked, their pockets are being checked. Barricades were blocking everything, and people were not being allowed to enter. In such a situation, where did the trucks full of stones around Jantar Mantar come from? Delhi Police should answer this,” he said.
He further alleged that some people in plain clothes were handed batons and claimed that they were wearing Delhi Police uniform.
“Delhi Police had planned and coordinated this in advance. Yesterday, they gave batons to some people in civilian clothes who were not police. The rioters were wearing Delhi Police uniforms yesterday. They beat up the children after removing their name tags,” Debki alleged.
(With inputs from agencies)
