‘No plain clothes, only uniform’: Delhi Police to cops on Jantar Mantar duty

Late Tuesday night, Delhi Police Headquarters is learnt to have sent out a message to all units, asking them to ensure that any police personnel reporting for duty at Jantar Mantar do so only in police uniform, and not in plain clothes.

In an internal report prepared by New Delhi district police, officials are learnt to have stated that Delhi Police used “mild force” on Monday to bring the situation under control after clashes broke out at four locations: Sansad Marg, Rail Bhawan roundabout, Jantar Mantar, and the Connaught Place Outer Circle-Janpath stretch.

According to a police source, three layers of barricades had been put up to stop the march. The first was at Tolstoy Marg, the second on Sansad Marg, and the third near Transport Bhawan. “Around 10.30 am, protesters allegedly broke through the barricade at Tolstoy Marg and moved towards the one on Sansad Marg, which they also breached. With only the barricade near Transport Bhawan left between the crowd and the high-security zone, security personnel used force to disperse the protesters,” the source said.

Plainclothes officers carrying lathis spotted excitedly going to beat up their next targets.

No uniform, no ID cards, just armed to protect Dharmendra Pradhan’s kursi. pic.twitter.com/ZawSuk78x8

— Cockroach is Back (@Cockroachisback) July 20, 2026

After the protest, multiple videos that went viral on social media showed men in plain clothes wielding police lathis and assaulting demonstrators. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) questioned Delhi Police in a social media post, asking: “Who are these lathi-armed goons in plainclothes? Who have you hired to beat us up?” Delhi Police, which has been countering allegations made by the protesters, has not publicly responded to the specific charge regarding men in civilian clothes using police lathis.

Is it legal?

The Indian Express has reported that while certain operations, such as those involving intelligence collection, genuinely require hiding identification or impersonation, regular policing is guided by statutory procedure and judicial guidelines.

The maintenance of public order and tranquillity is governed by Chapter XI of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (Sections 148 to 160, formerly Chapter X of the CrPC). While it does not specifically state whether policemen or armed forces personnel are required to identify themselves during a law and order situation, sources said, the very fact that the law allows only a magistrate or a “police officer” to disperse a crowd implies identification. The argument is that an unidentified crowd of armed men cannot legally demand a public gathering to disperse. “If a police officer is unidentifiable, his command to disperse cannot carry statutory weight,” said a criminal lawyer practising in Delhi.