NEW DELHI: As protesters stood their ground at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday, they clashed thrice with cops — 4.30pm, 8.30pm and 9pm — leaving 4-5 cops, including two ACPs, injured, police claimed.Police said as many as 10,000 protesters had gathered at the site through the day. Jammers were activated to block mobile internet, they said. Police used tear gas to push back the protesters, who, they claimed, tried to snatch their batons. Purported videos showed protesters allegedly hurling stones at Delhi Police and RAF personnel. Delhi Police registered four more FIRs in connection with Monday’s violence, taking the total number of cases to 10.
‘Pak-based’ handles spreading misinfo: Cops
The latest FIRs include charges related to assault on public servants, obstruction of govt officials in discharge of duty, unlawful assembly, rioting and other relevant offences.While ACP (Punjabi Bagh) Jai Prakash sustained injuries during the alleged stonepelting incident at Jantar Mantar, ACP Vivek Bhagat was hurt in the incident at Sansad Marg.In a statement, Delhi Police said that around 4.30pm, police personnel used loudspeakers to ask protesters to climb down from the barricades and clear Tolstoy Road. During the announcement, some members of the crowd allegedly began hurling empty bottles and stones at security personnel. Jai Prakash sustained a cut on his forehead after being struck by a stone and was shifted to hospital for treatment.Cops also identified several Pakistan-based social media handles that they claim were circulating deepfake and manipulated videos linked to the protest. One such video claimed that Delhi Police had admitted it was acting under political instructions to end the ongoing agitation, while another clip attributed remarks to additional CP Rajeev Ranjan. Police said the videos were fabricated, adding that action had been initiated, including blocking one of the handles.Police further said they had identified 19 fake posts on X and issued clarifications to counter misinformation, following which many of the posts were removed. Investigators also claimed to have received around 40 videos that allegedly show rioters engaging in violence, damaging property and attacking police personnel.
