# Delhi Police tells Supreme Court it used maximum restraint at CJP march 2026-08-18T10:58:09+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Delhi Police have told the Supreme Court that personnel exercised 'maximum restraint' and used only 'minimum required force' during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) 'Chalo Sansad' march on 20 July, denying allegations of excessive force. In an affidavit, Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma rejected claims that police used nail-fitted lathis, saying a solitary video showed a stick with a national flag, possibly carried by a protester, and that no medico-legal certificate documented nail injuries. The police said about 5,000 personnel were deployed to manage more than 30,000 protesters, with over 240 police and 200 protesters injured. On the use of facial recognition technology, the police said it flagged 2,873 individuals with criminal records, including murder and rape cases, and that investigations will be restricted to those flagged. Livemint reports the police also defended deploying plainclothes officers as 'spotters' from Special Branch and Crime Branch, saying this is standard practice at large gatherings. Hindustan Times notes the police have told the court they would cooperate with any committee it proposes to examine whether force was excessive. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Livemint framed the Delhi Police affidavit as a defensive rebuttal, leading with the denial of nail-fitted lathis and the claim of 'maximum restraint,' while embedding the admission that 2,873 flagged protesters had criminal records deep in the text. Hindustan Times led instead with the explanation for plainclothes officers, giving that operational detail equal weight and later noting the police's openness to a court-constituted committee on force, which subtly shifts the focus from allegation to process. The critical gap in both accounts is the absence of verified, independent documentation of injuries from nail-studded lathis, neither source weighs medical evidence against the police's blanket denial. A careful reader will note that while both outlets report police's version, they differ in how prominently they present the scale of the counter-allegation: 240 police versus 200 protesters injured. The coming days will reveal whether the Supreme Court accepts the police's proposal for a court-appointed panel to examine the force used, making the committee's composition the next concrete development to watch. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 pro-government, 1 neutral - livemint.com (pro government) Leads with police denying nail-lathi charge, emphasises 'maximum restraint' framing - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Leads with plainclothes officers explanation, notes police openness to court committee This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-18T11:55:57+00:00. Tags: Cockroach Janta Party, Delhi Police, Dharmendra Pradhan, Jantar Mantar, Supreme Court of India Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/delhi-police-tells-supreme-court-it-used-minimum-force-at-cjp-protest/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/delhi-police-tells-supreme-court-it-used-minimum-force-at-cjp-protest/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/