The Supreme Court-appointed panel has invited affected people, witnesses and other stakeholders to submit complaints and evidence related to the clashes during the Jantar Mantar protests. The panel will hold hearings on October 29 and 30, PTI reported.
The panel will investigate allegations of pellet gun firing, attacks on protesters, harassment of women, disproportionate use of force and damage to property. The allegations include claims against both demonstrators and security personnel.
The proceedings will begin at 11 am at the committee's office at Shiksha Sadan, 17 Rouse Avenue Institutional Area, New Delhi.
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Members of the public and those affected by the violence can visit the office between 11.30 am and 3 pm on both days to submit representations, lodge complaints and present supporting evidence. Visitors must carry valid identity documents.
The committee is chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Justice R Subhash Reddy. The Supreme Court constituted the panel while hearing petitions alleging police excesses against student protesters during an agitation led by the Cockroach Janta Party. Counter-allegations of violence against police personnel were also raised.
The five-member panel also includes former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court judge Justice Shalinder Kaur, former Central Bureau of Investigation director Rishi Kumar Shukla and retired Meghalaya Director General of Police L R Bishnoi.
Online Portal For Complaints, Evidence
To facilitate wider participation, particularly by vulnerable witnesses, the committee has launched an online portal, hpec.nic.in. Affected people, witnesses and other stakeholders can use the portal to upload statements, representations and supporting documents in the prescribed formats.
An earlier public notice stated that the portal had been developed in accordance with the Supreme Court's directions to facilitate the submission of material by affected persons and other concerned stakeholders, while ensuring safeguards for vulnerable witnesses.
The Supreme Court has directed the committee to ensure adequate protection for vulnerable witnesses, maintain the confidentiality of their identities and preserve the secrecy of their statements and evidence.
What Happened During The July Protests?
The Cockroach Janta Party-led march to Parliament on July 20 witnessed clashes between protesters and security personnel. Police used tear gas and baton charges to disperse the crowd, PTI reported.
Several students were hospitalised with injuries, some of which were suspected to have been caused by pellet guns.
The student-led agitation began at Jantar Mantar on June 20 and subsequently spread to several cities. The protest was called off on July 25 following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The upcoming hearings will allow affected individuals, witnesses and other stakeholders to present their accounts and supporting evidence before the committee as it examines the allegations surrounding the clashes.
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