‘Behind every uniform is a family’: Kin of injured Delhi Police personnel seek Parliament’s attention
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, July 31, 2026: Family members of Delhi Police personnel injured during the July 20 clashes at the CJP-led ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest have urged Parliament to also discuss the injuries suffered by police personnel and the trauma faced by their families.
At a press conference held at the Constitution Club of India on Friday, the families said public discourse surrounding the violence had largely focused on allegations of police excesses, while the experiences of injured personnel and their families had received little attention.
The wife of a Delhi Police Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), who was injured during the clashes, described the night her husband returned home as deeply traumatic.
“When he returned home late on the night of July 20, injured as he was, it was incredibly painful and traumatic for both me and my two-year-old daughter,” she said.
She added that police personnel had repeatedly appealed to protesters to remain peaceful before stones, bottles, slippers and other objects were allegedly thrown at them.
“Behind every uniform is not only a police officer; there is also a wife, children, parents and an entire family. We want people to understand that,” she said.
The families displayed photographs of injured police personnel and presented figures regarding the alleged damage caused during the violence. According to the presentation, more than 250 police personnel were injured, while over 110 barricades, 300 body protectors, 350 helmets, 20 loudhailers and 10 hand-held metal detectors were damaged. It also claimed that an X-ray baggage scanner and more than 25 government vehicles and other property were vandalised.
Seema, the wife of an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), said her husband had informed her around 11 am on July 20 that a large crowd had gathered and protesters were preparing to march towards Parliament.
Hours later, she received information that her husband was undergoing treatment at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital.
She alleged that her husband told her that some people in the crowd had attacked police personnel with stones, flower pots, slippers and shoes. After his phone battery ran out, she said, the family remained anxious until he returned home around 11 pm with a damaged protective helmet.
“Had another stone struck his head after the helmet broke, he might not have survived,” she said, adding that the families wanted the injuries suffered by police personnel and the impact on their families to be discussed in Parliament.
The family members said they were not blaming students participating in the protest but alleged that anti-social elements had entered the gathering and triggered violence.
Kunjal, a Delhi University student whose father, a Delhi Police sub-inspector, was injured, said her father had earlier served for 15 years as a marine commando in the Indian Navy before joining the police force.
She said her father was deployed near the barricades and later suffered injuries during the unrest. According to her, he was brought home by colleagues with his uniform covered in blood after receiving treatment.
Another student, Lakshya Singh, whose father is an ACP, said he was shocked to see his father with a head injury and stitches following the violence.
He said the family was distressed by social media posts portraying police personnel only as aggressors and called for the experiences of injured officers to receive equal attention.
The families said they wanted their perspective to be heard and urged lawmakers to acknowledge the risks faced by police personnel deployed during large protests.