The Delhi Police on Thursday said that people accused of violence in the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests may see their passports cancelled.

This is the latest move by the police to try quelling the violence that has emerged out of the CJP protests demanding accountability in the education sector, particularly the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

According to a PTI report citing sources, action for the cancellation of passports may be initiated in accordance with the applicable legal provisions against those found to be actively violent amid the protests.

In that regard, the Delhi Police is currently trying to identify such people from CCTV footage, video recordings, and other technical evidence from the protests.

This comes after the Delhi High Court on Wednesday urged the Delhi Police to keep all video evidence of the protests, after it heard petitions alleging police brutality on the CJP protesters, by means of lathi charges and the use of tear gas, among other excesses. 

The petitioners had further alleged that the CJP protesters had not engaged in any violence, despite which violence was meted out against them.

The ground situation presents a different story, with the police earlier detaining a number of violent protesters who were allegedly involved in the stone pelting, damage to police vehicles, and the destruction of public property during the protest.

More than 100 protesters were detained from different locations, including Parliament Street, Patel Chowk, Constitution Club, Shastri Bhawan and adjoining areas, and shifted to different police stations and temporary detention centres across Delhi.

However, the police said that a number of those detained were not even students, and efforts were on to identify them, and their motives.

The CJP is now gearing up for a nationwide protest on Friday, in solidarity with its protesters who faced police brutality as well.

Various CJP leaders have again reiterated that the protests should be peaceful, but it remains to be seen how effectively they can maintain order on the ground, and whether the Delhi Police will have to resort to violent measures to rout them.

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