Plainclothes police, missing nametags: Delhi Police orders officers to be in uniform after viral lathi charge videos spark outrage

Amid uproar over plainclothes policemen carrying out a lathi charge on protestors at the ongoing Jantar Mantar protest, the Delhi Police, as per reports, has now instructed all personnel to report for duty only in uniform. This comes as the July 20 march to Parliament, organised by the Congress Janta Party, turned violent, with videos showing police personnel carrying out a lathi charge on what was supposed to be a peaceful protest against the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. The resulting altercation has left both demonstrators and security personnel injured.

The protest continues at Jantar Mantar, with students demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Videos of plainclothes personnel trigger criticism

The brutal police action has drawn widespread criticism after multiple videos circulated on social media appeared to show men in civilian clothes carrying police lathis and using force against protesters. Other videos showed some uniformed personnel without visible name tags.

The visuals prompted questions over the identity of those involved in the crowd-control operation and whether plainclothes personnel were authorised to carry out policing duties.

According to The Indian Express, Delhi Police Headquarters issued an internal message late Tuesday night directing all units to ensure that officers deployed at Jantar Mantar report only in police uniform and not in civilian attire.

Delhi Police has not publicly responded to allegations specifically concerning plainclothes personnel using police batons.

Police say 'mild force' was used after barricades were breached

According to an internal report prepared by the New Delhi district police, officials maintained that "mild force" was used to restore order after protesters allegedly breached multiple security barricades.

A police source told The Indian Express that authorities had erected three layers of barricades at Tolstoy Marg, Sansad Marg and near Transport Bhawan to prevent protesters from entering the high-security zone.

The source said protesters allegedly broke through the first barricade at Tolstoy Marg around 10.30 am before breaching a second barricade on Sansad Marg.

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 told the publication.

Police said clashes were reported at four locations: Sansad Marg, the Rail Bhawan roundabout, Jantar Mantar and the Connaught Place Outer Circle-Janpath stretch.

Cockroach Janata Party questions role of plainclothes personnel

Following the clashes, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) questioned the role of the men seen in civilian clothes carrying lathis.

In a post on social media, the party asked, "Who are these lathi-armed goons in plainclothes? Who have you hired to beat us up?"

Delhi Police has been responding to several allegations made by protesters but has not publicly addressed the specific claim regarding men in plain clothes using police batons.

Is it legal for police to operate in plain clothes during crowd control?

The incident has also sparked debate over whether police personnel engaged in crowd-control duties should be identifiable.

While certain policing functions such as intelligence gathering or undercover operations may require officers to conceal their identity, routine law-and-order operations are governed by statutory procedures and judicial principles.

Public order is governed under Chapter XI of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), covering Sections 148 to 160. While the law does not expressly require police officers or armed personnel to display identification during crowd-control operations, legal experts argue that only a magistrate or a "police officer" has the statutory authority to order an unlawful assembly to disperse. Notably, the BNSS itself does not explicitly state whether officers must wear uniforms during law-and-order operations.