An IIT Patna student who claims to have been injured during the police action at the July 20 “Sansad Chalo” protest in New Delhi has approached the Supreme Court seeking directions for a uniform crowd-control protocol and mandatory identification of police personnel deployed during protests.
The intervention application, filed through Advocate Neha Rathi by Toshiwa Yadav in the pending case Himanshu v. Union of India & Ors., seeks to assist the Court in adjudicating issues relating to the alleged excessive and disproportionate use of force by the Delhi Police and other law enforcement personnel against students protesting over the NEET-UG 2026 controversy.
According to the plea, the applicant participated in the July 20 protest, which marched towards Parliament demanding the resignation of the Union Education Minister. She alleges that while returning from the protest site, she was assaulted by police personnel who were in uniform but were not wearing name plates or identification badges. The applicant claims to have sustained a deep head injury that required stitches and immediate medical treatment.
The application alleges that police used excessive force against peaceful demonstrators, resulting in several students suffering grievous injuries, with some reportedly losing consciousness. It contends that the manner and intensity of the force employed raise serious concerns regarding the arbitrary and disproportionate exercise of State power against citizens exercising their constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and free expression.
The plea further alleges that persons in plain clothes and police personnel without identification badges participated in the assault, warranting an independent inquiry into the identity, authority and role of every individual involved. It also refers to allegations that lathis fitted with nails, electrified barricades, pellet guns and shock batons were used during the protest. The application additionally cites reports alleging that women protesters were assaulted, including on their private parts, and that an Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police slapped a woman bystander.
The presence and participation of unidentified persons in the use of coercive force against citizens raises serious questions of transparency, accountability and institutional responsibility, the plea states, adding that no individual responsible for the alleged assault should escape accountability due to the absence of proper identification.
The applicant argues that while the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 empowers police to disperse unlawful assemblies, such powers must be exercised in accordance with the constitutional principles of legality, necessity, reasonableness and proportionality.
To prevent similar incidents, the intervention application proposes several safeguards, including a uniform and publicly accessible Standard Operating Procedure for crowd control, mandatory display of name plates and identification numbers by police personnel, compulsory reporting of every instance of use of force, prompt medical treatment for injured persons, and periodic training of police personnel on constitutional principles governing crowd management.
The applicant has sought permission to intervene in the pending writ petition and assist the Supreme Court in its adjudication.
Last week, the Supreme Court sought responses from the Union, Delhi and several State Governments on petitions challenging the police action against student protesters. The Court directed that no coercive action be taken against the students, ordered preservation of CCTV footage and official records, and listed the matter for hearing on August 3. The Court is also hearing a separate petition filed by persons who allegedly sustained pellet gun injuries during the protest.
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