New Delhi: Multiple videos have surfaced from Jantar Mantar purportedly showing protesters questioning police personnel over the absence of visible nameplates during the deployment.Senior Delhi Police officers said there was no order directing personnel not to wear nameplates. However, some junior personnel deployed at the protest site cited different reasons for the badges not being visible in the videos. “The nameplate has a pin, and sometimes it falls off during a scuffle while maintaining law and order,” a policeman said.Another officer said the pin attached to the nameplate can sometimes become loose or start pricking the person wearing it. “If it is not removed, it may also prick other people and cause injuries,” he said.The videos have emerged amid heightened security arrangements at Jantar Mantar, where a large police contingent was deployed to prevent any unauthorised gathering. Protesters seen in the videos repeatedly asked police personnel to identify themselves and questioned why their names were not clearly visible on their uniforms.According to a standing order of Delhi Police, nameplates in Hindi and English will be worn by all ranks on the right chest above and in the centre of the breast pocket. Non-gazetted officers and subordinates will also have their ranks mentioned on the nameplates.A senior officer said most police personnel wear their nameplates, though there are some exceptions where personnel remove them.Some junior officers also raised concerns over the identities of cops becoming clear in photos and videos posted on social media, saying their their residential addresses could be leaked and their families, including children, targeted, potentially leading to doxxing. A similar situation was reported during the CJP protest two months ago.“As soon as the names of cops are known, there is social media patrolling. They find details about family members, and nowadays people can easily be targeted online,” a police officer said. Another said residential addresses could also be leaked, posing a serious security threat to the cops and their families.
