SC-tasked panel invites complaints linked to Jantar Mantar clashes in July

New Delhi: The Supreme Court-constituted High Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) has started inviting complaints and representations from people affected by incidents relating to violence at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and other cities in July, an official said on Saturday.

For the convenience of the affected people, including the affected police personnel, the HPEC, headed by former Justice R. Subhash Reddy, has launched a portal, http://hpec.nic.in, the Union Home Ministry official said in a statement.

The five-member HPEC has been tasked to look into all aspects of the incidents relating to violence at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, and at places outside the Capital, in July during protests over alleged exam irregularities, the official said.

The HPEC shall examine all issues enumerated in paragraphs 12 and 13 of the Supreme Court’s order dated August 18 and paragraph 5(i) of the order dated September 10, 2026, said the official in a statement.

Priority will be given to matters about the use of pellet guns, targeted violence and harassment of female protestors, and excessive violence and destruction of property occasioned on either side, said the statement.

The Portal is designed in such a manner as to enable due protection to vulnerable witnesses and also to keep the identities confidential and undisclosed, if so wished by the affected persons, said the statement.

The affected persons and other stakeholders are encouraged to access the portal and upload their complaints/representations, making use of the formats as applicable, it said.

Apart from the above, any person wishing to provide information/suggestion relating to the issues referred to the HPEC under the Supreme Court orders dated August 18, 2026 and September 10, 2026 may also do so through the portal, the statement said.

Those who wish to submit the complaints, representations and other relevant material physically can do so at the Office of the HPEC at Shiksha Sadan, 17, Rouse Avenue Institutional Area, New Delhi 110002 between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on all working days. Submissions can also be sent by post at the above address or by email, the statement said.

While constituting the HPEC, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant directed the panel to look into “the use of excessive force and violence against protestors by police authorities and other agencies, including the deployment of pellet guns, electric batons, lathi charges, and tear gas without adequate warning or proportionality, resulting in severe bodily harm and injuries, some of which are alleged to be of a grievous and lasting nature”.

The CJI clarified that the larger constitutional questions related to facial recognition technology, surveillance and privacy will be decided by the apex court itself and not by the committee.

The Supreme Court also directed the presentation of CCTV footage to the Committee for investigation.

“The Police Authorities, Para-Military Forces, and other Investigating Agencies, who were directed vide order dated July 28, 2026, to preserve all CCTV footage, drone footage, body-worn camera recordings, videography, wireless communication records, and PCR call logs about the student protests, and furnish the entire record to the HPEC and extend their full cooperation,” it said.

–IANS