NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police have rejected allegations of using excessive force during a protest march led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) from Jantar Mantar to Parliament on July 20.

In a counter-affidavit responding to petitions seeking a court-monitored investigation into alleged police excesses, Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma stated that the demonstration turned non-peaceful after sections of the crowd breached several layers of barricades in an attempt to march toward Parliament, according to a report by LiveLaw.

The police stated that only graded force was used to manage the situation. Key figures and claims presented in the affidavit include:

• Deployment: Approximately 5,000 personnel were deployed to oversee a crowd exceeding 30,000 people spread over a 3 km area.
• Injuries: More than 240 police personnel and uniformed officers, along with around 200 protesters and members of the public, sustained injuries during the clashes.
• Infiltration: Police claimed that the crowd included history-sheeters and "anti-social elements" who had infiltrated the demonstration.

The Delhi Police maintained that the situation became "completely out of control" and asserted that the claims of excessive force are unsustainable considering the large volume of protesters across multiple locations.