Delhi Police officers deployed at Jantar Mantar to manage a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar were reportedly observed operating without identification name tags.
Addressing the controversy, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sachin Sharma clarified that no official instructions were issued directing personnel to refrain from wearing name badges.
He explained that name tags may have broken accidentally in the line of duty while officers managed crowd control, adding that all personnel remain required to wear their badges.
Sharma noted that following the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) “Chalo Sansad” march in July, which resulted in violence, several officers identified by their name plates were subjected to social media trolling, reports NDTV.
Media reports suggest that officers may have omitted their identification tags during the current demonstration to prevent further online harassment.
Under Delhi Police Standing Order, all officers are strictly required to display a bilingual plastic name plate featuring white letters on a black background as a mandatory element of their uniform.
The incident triggered political pushback, leading Communist Party of India (CPI) Rajya Sabha leader P Sandosh Kumar to write to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday requesting central intervention.
In his letter, Kumar raised serious concerns over alleged police violence, arbitrary detentions, and the removal of name badges by Delhi Police personnel during the demonstrations.
Kumar was himself taken into custody on 2 October along with party workers and fellow demonstrators.
Referring to the landmark Supreme Court ruling in DK Basu vs State of West Bengal, the MP emphasised that law enforcement officers making arrests or handling detainees are legally obligated to display accurate, visible, and clear identification tags showing their names and designations.
Citing Standing Order, he added that visible identification is fundamental to police accountability whenever state power is exercised against citizens.
The demonstrations at Jantar Mantar follow an Indian Express report disclosing that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally recorded 14 objections over a 10-month period regarding decisions and orders issued under Gyanesh concerning the Special Summary Revision (SIR) process.
Demonstrators are demanding his resignation over alleged vote theft after 13.3 crore voters were removed from the electoral rolls during the SIR exercise.
