"No Instructions": Delhi Police On Cops Without Name Tags At Protest

Delhi Police personnel deployed at Jantar Mantar to handle a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar were reportedly spotted without name tags. Was it intentional? The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for the New Delhi district clarified that no instructions were issued to cops to avoid wearing name tags.

DCP Sachin Sharma said that some name tags may have broken in the line of duty while personnel were engaged in crowd control. He made it clear that all personnel on duty are required to wear name tags.

"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," Sharma told NDTV.

Sharma, however, noted that after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)'s 'Chalo Sansad' march in July, during which violence erupted, several police officers were identified through their name tags and subsequently faced trolling on social media.

There have been reports claiming that it is to avoid another round of trolling that Delhi Police officials are avoiding name tags this time.

Delhi Police rules under Delhi Police Standing Order No 51 require personnel to wear a bilingual plastic name plate with white letters on a black background as a mandatory part of their uniform.

Ask Cops To Wear Name Plates: CPI MP Writes To Amit Shah

CPI Rajya Sabha leader P Sandosh Kumar on Saturday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking his intervention in the alleged police violence, arbitrary detentions and removal of name badges by Delhi Police personnel while handling protests at Jantar Mantar.

Referring to the Supreme Court's directions in the 'D K Basu vs State of West Bengal' case, Kumar said police personnel carrying out arrests or handling detainees were required to bear "accurate, visible and clear identification and name tags with their designations".

He also referred to Delhi Police Standing Order No 51, which prescribes visible name plates as part of the uniform and said, "Identification is fundamental to accountability when the State exercises coercive power against citizens".

Kumar was detained along with several party workers and other protesters on October 2.

The letter comes amid ongoing protests in Delhi following Indian Express report that detailed how Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally objected on record 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the SIR process under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

As many as 13.3 crore voters have been removed from voter list following SIR so far. Protesters are demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over alleged vote theft.