A senior Delhi Police officer has been removed from protest-site duty and is facing an internal inquiry after a video purportedly showing him slapping a woman protester during the 'Chalo Sansad' march triggered widespread outrage.
The officer, identified as Sandeep Lamba, was deployed to oversee law and order during the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)-led protest over the alleged NEET paper leak. The incident has since come under judicial scrutiny, with calls mounting for criminal action against the officer.
Who is Sandeep Lamba?
Sandeep Lamba is a 2011-batch officer of the DANIPS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli Police Service) cadre. He currently serves as the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East District) and has held several operational and law-and-order assignments across the national capital.
He was among the senior officers deployed during the July 20 'Chalo Sansad' march, when thousands of students and youth protesters attempted to march towards Parliament demanding action over the alleged NEET paper leak and reforms in the examination system.
The Video That Triggered the Controversy
The controversy centres on a 36-second video recorded near Parliament during the protest, which appears to show Lamba slapping a woman demonstrator amid a confrontation with police.
The footage quickly went viral, drawing sharp criticism over the police's handling of the protest and renewing allegations of excessive force against demonstrators.
As public outrage grew, the Delhi Police removed Lamba from protest-site duty and ordered an internal inquiry into the incident.
Delhi Police: Officer 'Lost His Cool'
While confirming the inquiry, a senior DCP-rank officer acknowledged that Lamba had "lost his cool" during the confrontation.
According to the police, the woman protester was allegedly carrying a "nail-like object" and had refused repeated instructions to leave the area.
"The woman had something like nails in her hand and was not responding to the call to leave the site despite clear instructions from the officer. She had a nail-like substance in her hand and was arguing with the officer," the official said.
The officer admitted that Lamba had acted in the "spur of the moment" and said he had subsequently been instructed to maintain discipline, particularly while dealing with women protesters.
Delhi High Court Takes Note
The incident also figured prominently during proceedings before the Delhi High Court, which is hearing petitions alleging excessive police force during the July 20 Parliament march.
Appearing for the petitioners, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan urged the court to hold the officer personally accountable.
"The woman 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," Sankaranarayanan told a Bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia.
The High Court has sought responses from the Centre and the Delhi Police on allegations of police excess during the protest.
Adding to the pressure, former Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale has filed a formal police complaint seeking registration of an FIR against Lamba.
In a post on X, Gokhale said the move followed the government's submission before the Delhi High Court that no FIR had been registered because no formal complaint had been received.
"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," Gokhale wrote.
He has sought criminal action against the officer over the alleged assault on the woman protester during the July 20 demonstration.
The complaint adds a fresh legal dimension to a controversy that has become emblematic of the wider debate over the police response to the CJP-led student movement. While the Delhi Police maintains that an internal inquiry is underway, the incident has intensified scrutiny of law enforcement's conduct during one of the largest student protests witnessed in the capital in recent years.
