Sonam Wangchuk-led Delhi protest spotlights plainclothes police and tear gas
A recent protest in Delhi, led by the Cockroach Janta Party and activist Sonam Wangchuk, got heated when police used tear gas and lathis on the crowd.
What really caught people's attention was the presence of plainclothes individuals with police batons and some uniformed officers without nameplates, raising questions about who's actually enforcing the law and how transparent things are.
Nameplate rules clash with plainclothes policing
Using plainclothes cops at protests isn't new; retired officers say it helps spot troublemakers, but it makes it hard to hold anyone accountable if things go wrong.
Delhi Police rules say officers should wear nameplates, and a key Supreme Court ruling from 1997 insists on visible ID during arrests or interrogations.
But there's still no clear rule for crowd control situations like this, which is why debates about balancing officer safety with public accountability are back in the spotlight.