Delhi Police personnel removing identification badges before detaining protesters: CPI MP Amit Shah

File photo of CPI MP Sandosh Kumar. | Photo credit: ANI

CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar on Saturday (Oct 3, 2026) alleged that Delhi Police personnel removed or hid their identification badges before detaining or using force against protesters and urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to order a time-bound inquiry into the practice.

In a letter to the Union Home Secretary, Mr. Kumar sought his intervention in the repeated use of violence, arbitrary detention, manhandling and other illegal practices by the Delhi Police in dealing with pro-democracy protests.

A CPI National Secretariat member was himself detained on Friday (October 2, 2026) along with CPI workers and AISF and AIYF cadres during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

democratic rights

He expressed grave concern that the Delhi Police, which reports directly to the Union Home Ministry, has repeatedly responded to peaceful political mobilization with “violence, mass detentions, internet shutdowns and manhandling” instead of protecting citizens exercising their democratic rights at the protest site designated by the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Citing the Supreme Court’s directions in DK Basu v. State of West Bengal and Delhi Police Standing Order No. 51, the Rajya Sabha MP said that identification is necessary for accountability when the police exercise coercive powers against citizens.

“This is not a minor procedural matter: identification is essential to accountability when the state exercises coercive power against citizens,” he said.

Need to ask

Demanding a time-bound inquiry into the conduct of Delhi Police personnel, Mr Kumar called for an inquiry into the use of force, arbitrary detention, removal or concealment of identification badges, handling of protesters, deployment of plainclothes personnel and use of facial recognition systems.

He urged the Union Home Minister to ensure that police personnel deployed at Jantar Mantar remain identifiable and accountable and that constitutional guarantees, Supreme Court directives and Delhi Police’s own rules are strictly adhered to.

“Democratic dissent cannot be met with methods reminiscent of Britain’s Raj police. The Delhi Police must understand that its duty is to protect citizens and uphold their constitutional rights, not to intimidate, assault or silence them,” he said.

Published – 03 Oct 2026 20:31 IST