According to authorities cited by news agency Press Trust of India, the Supreme Court-appointed High Powered Inquiry Committee, which is looking into allegations of violence during the July rallies at Jantar Mantar, will meet for two days on October 29 and 30.
The committee will hear testimony from impacted parties and document evidence of alleged pellet gun use, targeted violence, harassment of female demonstrators, excessive force, and property destruction by both sides.
Officials told PTI that the committee's office at Shiksha Sadan, 17 Rouse Avenue Institutional Area, New Delhi, will host the proceedings starting at 11 a.m.
On October 29 and 30, from 11.30 am to 3 pm, members of the public and anyone impacted by the violence can come to the office to file complaints, make representations, and provide supporting documentation. They have to have legitimate identity documents with them.
Justice R Subhash Reddy, a retired Supreme Court judge, is in charge of the five-person panel. The committee was established by the Supreme Court while it was considering a number of petitions alleging police abuses against student demonstrators during the Cockroach Janta Party-led uprising. Counter-allegations of violence against police officers were also made.
The panel also consists of retired Meghalaya Director General of Police L R Bishnoi, former Central Bureau of Investigation director Rishi Kumar Shukla, former Delhi High Court judge Justice Shalinder Kaur, and former Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The committee has established an internet portal, hpec.nic.in, to promote broader involvement and safeguard vulnerable witnesses. Statements, representations, and supporting documentation can be uploaded by affected individuals, witnesses, and other stakeholders using the approved formats on the portal.An earlier public notice stated, "The online portal has been developed in compliance with the Supreme Court's directives to protect the interests of vulnerable witnesses and facilitate the submission of material by affected persons and other concerned stakeholders."
The committee has been instructed by the Supreme Court to give vulnerable witnesses entire security, to keep their identities private, and to keep their statements and evidence completely confidential.
On July 20, security forces and demonstrators engaged in violent altercations during the Cockroach Janta Party-led march to Parliament. According to PTI, police dispersed the gathering with baton charges and tear gas shells.
A number of students with injuries that may have been caused by pellet guns were brought to hospitals. On June 20, the student-led protest started in Jantar Mantar and subsequently extended to many cities. Following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, it was canceled on July 25.
Affected individuals and other members of the public will be able to submit complaints and evidence on the clashes during the committee's two-day meeting, and witnesses and stakeholders will be able to submit material through its online portal with confidentiality protections.
