New Delhi:
A senior Delhi Police officer who was seen slapping a woman protester during the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) march to Parliament has been removed from the Jantar Mantar protest site.
Sandeep Lamba, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (North East District), was seen slapping a female protester on July 20 as thousands of supporters of the CJP converged at Jantar Mantar for the “Chalo Sansad” march to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities.
Ex-Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale said that he has also filed a police complaint against Lamba.
“Yesterday, in the Delhi High Court, the Government’s answer to the petitions on police brutality was that nobody had approached the police for an FIR. So today I filed a police complaint,” he said on X this morning.
I have filed a complaint with the SHO, Parliament Street Police Station,
for registration of an FIR against Additional DCP Sandeep Lamba who
assaulted a woman protestor at Jantar Mantar on 20 July 2026.Yesterday, in the Delhi High Court, the Government’s answer to the
petitions… pic.twitter.com/ucDjl1dorP— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) July 23, 2026
Lamba’s name was mentioned during a hearing in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday on a plea alleging excessive use of force against CJP protesters.
“Additional DCP Sandeep Lamba is seen slapping a woman who is doing nothing. She is not moving. I can show the video right now. Let us not be scared to name our thugs in uniform when they deserve to be named. He should be summoned here and he should be asked to be accountable,” senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who appeared for the petitioners, told a bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia.
He said that no water cannon, which has to be the first measure, was deployed to disperse the crowd, and instead, tear gas was thrown “at the protesters” and not away from them, despite it being the “last resort.”
The court issued notice on the PILs by Umesh Kumar and Anshul Kumar to the police, the central government, and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and gave four weeks to the authorities to file their counter affidavits. It also directed the authorities to preserve all relevant records in relation to the police action, including CCTV camera footage and any videography.
CJP’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ March
The security forces had used tear gas shells to disperse thousands of supporters of the CJP who gathered in Delhi to march to the Parliament on the first day of the monsoon session on July 20, despite police denying permission for the protest.
The police also used sticks and batons to disperse the crowd, mostly youngsters, who had converged at the Jantar Mantar protest site for the “Chalo Sansad” march against alleged irregularities in NEET — the national entrance test for medical colleges — and to demand the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.
Some protesters and police personnel sustained minor injuries as they allegedly tried to breach barricades while marching towards Parliament. Sources put the number of injured personnel at 50.
Two CJP spokespersons then met Union Health Minister JP Nadda in the afternoon and handed over a list of demands, including the resignation of Pradhan.
CJP Protests
The Cockroach Janta Party was launched in May by Abhijeet Dipke as a satirical digital outfit, following a controversy over Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s “parasites” and “cockroaches” remark.
Within days, it took the internet by storm and gained millions of followers across social media platforms. It also attracted support from various Opposition politicians, activists, artists, and sportspersons.
30-year-old Dipke, who has lived in the US for the past two years, then returned to India in June to lead the protests in Delhi, calling for reforms in the education sector following alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including paper leaks.
He was later joined by activist Sonam Wangchuk, who sat on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on June 28.
Wangchuk, 59, however, was taken to a state-run hospital by the police last Saturday, citing his health conditions.
He then went to the court to move to a hospital of his choice, which allowed him to be admitted to Medanta in Gurugram.
