Full Breakdown
Police Identity Badges at Jantar Mantar: Why Some Officers Went Unnamed
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On October 2 2026, thousands gathered at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) were deployed to enforce prohibitory orders. Video footage showed many officers without the mandatory bilingual name-plates, prompting accusations that the force was concealing identities to avoid social-media targeting. The next day, three women journalists alleged sexual harassment by police while covering the protest.
Background & Context
The controversy echoes the July 20 CJP march, when officers’ name tags were photographed and the personnel and their families were subsequently trolled online. Senior officers later reported that the experience informed a “no-name-tags” approach for the October protests, especially for junior staff. The practice of obscuring identity plates is standard in conflict zones such as the northeast and Jammu & Kashmir, but it is not codified in Delhi Police Standing Order No 51, which mandates visible name plates for all ranks.
Official Statements & Responses
“There are no instructions from the police side to avoid wearing name tags. Some name tags may have broken during crowd-control duties at the protest, and personnel are required to wear their name tags,” — Sachin Sharma. The department also confirmed that the journalists’ complaints have been forwarded to the Crime Branch for a “fair and impartial enquiry.” CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar cited the Supreme Court’s D K Basu v. State of West Bengal directions, which require visible identification for officers making arrests, and urged Home Minister Amit Shah to order a time-bound inquiry.
Criticism & Opposition
CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar argued that the removal of badges undermines accountability and demanded an investigation into the practice, the use of force, and the deployment of plain-clothes personnel. “A female journalist has accused a police officer of misconduct at Jantar Mantar. For hours, hundreds of journalists have been sitting there with just one demand: that an FIR be registered. Isn’t that the police’s basic duty? They haven’t even done that,” — Lok Sabha Rahul.
On-the-Ground Reports
Protesters repeatedly asked officers why their names were not visible, and several videos captured police responding that pins on the plates had fallen off or that they had deliberately removed them to protect families from doxxing. Journalists described being detained, and one reporter said Assistant Commissioner Vivek Bhagat allegedly assaulted her after she questioned the lack of women police personnel.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Reason for missing badges: Police leadership attributes the absence to broken pins, while internal review meetings cited a deliberate decision to avoid social-media targeting.
- Detention figures: Police statements cite “more than 700” detainees, whereas other outlets report “nearly 1,000” arrests.
- Extent of sexual-harassment claims: The Delhi Police confirms receipt of complaints and a Crime Branch enquiry, but no FIRs have been publicly recorded, leaving the outcome unclear.
What’s Next
CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar’s letter to Home Minister Amit Shah seeks a time-bound inquiry into badge removal, use of force, and alleged sexual harassment. The Crime Branch investigation into the journalists’ complaints is pending, and the Supreme Court’s identification directives remain a focal point for future legal scrutiny.