Supreme Court panel to hear Jantar Mantar protest violence complaints on Oct. 29-30

A Supreme Court-appointed High Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) is set to conduct a two-day hearing on October 29 and 30 regarding the violence that erupted during the July Jantar Mantar demonstrations. Chaired by retired Justice R Subhash Reddy, the five-member panel—including former judges Ravi Shankar Jha and Shalinder Kaur, ex-CBI director Rishi Kumar Shukla and former Meghalaya DGP L R Bishnoi—will sit at Shiksha Sadan, 17 Rouse Avenue, from 11 am, with the public invited to present complaints between 11.30 am and 3 pm provided they show valid ID.

The committee will examine allegations of pellet-gun use, targeted attacks on female protesters, excessive force and property damage by both sides. To protect vulnerable witnesses, an online portal (hpec.nic.in) has been launched for confidential submission of evidence. The inquiry follows violent clashes on July 20, when police employed tear-gas shells and baton charges, reportedly causing pellet-gun injuries to students, and the subsequent winding down of the protest after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on July 25.