Passports of those involved in students' protest violence 'may be' cancelled: Delhi Police sources

There is no official confirmation from the Delhi Police yet, but sources told PTI on Thursday that the passports of people found directly involved in violence during the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest may be cancelled under the applicable legal provisions.

According to the sources, the Delhi Police has started identifying individuals allegedly involved in rioting and other acts of violence during the protest using CCTV footage, video recordings and other technical evidence. The exercise, they said, is aimed at establishing the identities of those who were allegedly involved in violent incidents before any further legal action is taken.

The sources said that once the identification process is completed and the evidence is examined, the police may initiate proceedings for the cancellation of passports of those found to have actively participated in the violence. They, however, did not specify the legal provisions that could be invoked or indicate how many people may come under the proposed action.

The move, if implemented, would be in addition to the criminal cases already registered in connection with the violence that broke out during the protest.

Police are continuing to analyse footage from surveillance cameras and videos collected from multiple sources as part of the investigation, the sources added.

Officials also said investigators are relying on other technical evidence, including digital material gathered during the probe, to identify those allegedly involved.

They maintained that action would be taken only after the available evidence is scrutinised and individual roles are established.

The Delhi Police has not issued any official statement on the proposed passport cancellations so far. The information is based solely on inputs shared by police sources with PTI.