Why Delhi Police personnel were seen without name tags at Jantar Mantar during CEC protest

PTC Web Desk:  A noticeable change in the Delhi Police deployment at Jantar Mantar during protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has drawn attention as several personnel on crowd-control duty were seen without name tags.

Officials familiar with the security arrangements said the decision was deliberate and was linked to concerns over police personnel and their families being identified and targeted on social media following the violence during a protest in July.

The latest protests have been organised against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. On the first day of the demonstrations, several protesters filmed police personnel and questioned them about the missing identification tags.

Some officers told protesters that their tags had come loose during the commotion, while others said they had forgotten to put them on. Some personnel reportedly said the tags had been removed intentionally to ensure they did not fall off during crowd-control operations.

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July protests triggered concerns

According to officials, the decision was influenced by the experience of the July 20 protests, when the police faced intense scrutiny after clashes broke out during a march towards Parliament.

The march, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), followed weeks of demonstrations and a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar. Protesters were demanding the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination paper leaks.

As demonstrators tried to cross several layers of barricades, the police used tear gas and baton charges to control the situation. Videos circulating online appeared to show protesters being assaulted. The Delhi Police maintained that force was used after the crowd became violent.

Senior officers involved in the July crowd-control operation later raised concerns in internal review meetings about police personnel being identified and targeted online.

One officer familiar with those discussions claimed that some officers and even their family members were subjected to online attacks, memes and personal targeting following the protests.

Junior personnel allowed to remove tags

Officials said senior officers, including many IPS personnel, generally continued to wear their identification tags during the latest deployment. However, several junior personnel were reportedly allowed to perform crowd-control duties without them.

The reasoning, according to police sources, was to reduce the possibility of individual officers being singled out on social media after performing their duties.

There is also a precedent for such a practice in sensitive security operations. Security forces have traditionally taken steps to conceal the identities of personnel deployed in areas affected by Left Wing Extremism, parts of the Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir.

However, the practice in Delhi has attracted criticism, particularly because of allegations of excessive force during the July protests.

Police also wary of people posing as journalists

Another concern for security officials is the growing presence of social media influencers at protest sites. Police officials said some individuals allegedly presented themselves as journalists while recording officers, conducting interviews and making live videos. They claimed that some of these recordings were later used to identify individual personnel or create memes targeting them.

As a result, the police have reportedly increased checks on people claiming to be members of the media.

The issue has also raised questions about unidentified civilians seen allegedly assaulting protesters during the July demonstrations. Some social media influencers claimed to have identified such individuals as people who were not part of the Delhi Police.

Self-styled influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj was arrested in connection with the alleged assault of a 38-year-old man during the July protest at Jantar Mantar.

Fresh training before protests

Ahead of the latest demonstrations, Delhi Police and central armed police forces conducted anti-riot drills and crowd-management training.

Personnel were reportedly instructed to remain calm when approached by influencers or people recording them on mobile phones and to avoid confrontations while carrying out their duties.

The Central Reserve Police Force's Rapid Action Force also reportedly took steps to prevent its personnel from giving interviews after concerns raised during reviews of the earlier protests.