989 Criminals Identified in July 20 Parliament March Violence, Delhi Police Report Says

A Delhi Police investigation into the July 20 violence during a march to Parliament revealed that 989 individuals with criminal records in heinous offences were part of the unrest, according to a report submitted to the government by Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar.

The report noted that police examined a total of 2,873 individuals involved in attacking police officers and vandalising vehicles during the protest. Among those identified with criminal antecedents were 101 people facing murder charges, 284 individuals booked in dacoity and robbery cases, and 92 accused in sexual assault and other offences against women and children.

Delhi Police identified the suspects through Facial Recognition System (FRS) cameras, CCTV footage, and videos recorded by police personnel and members of the public. Suspects were tracked across areas where the violence took place, where they were seen throwing stones, attacking police personnel, damaging government vehicles, and vandalising public property.

In the report, police stated that force was deployed only after repeated warnings were ignored by the crowd. The probe revealed that a considerable number of persons present in and around the protest sites were not merely individuals with isolated criminal antecedents, but included habitual and repeat offenders. These individuals had prior involvement in grave offences such as murder, attempt to murder, dacoity, robbery, rape, offences against women, Arms Act violations, kidnapping, snatching, and narcotics-related offences.

Action against these individuals with criminal backgrounds, including arrests and ongoing investigations, is expected to continue. According to sources, cases registered against students involved in the demonstration will be dropped.