Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis backs Delhi Police response, says violence during CJP protest cannot be justified

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday defended the Delhi Police action during the Cockroach Janta Partys CJP protest in the national capital saying that while peaceful demonstrations are a constitutional right protests without permission and incidents of violence cannot be justifiedHis remarks came a day after clashes broke out during the CJPs Sansad Chalo march during which Delhi Police alleged that protesters attempted to breach barricades leading to violence that left more than 118 police personnel and around 60 protesters injuredFadnavis says violence during protests cannot be acceptedSpeaking to reporters the Chief Minister said democratic protests are protected under the Constitution provided they remain peaceful and are conducted with the necessary permissionsIn a democracy everyone has the right to protest However while protesting one thing must keep in mind both the rights given by the Constitution and the responsibilities placed by it If anyone conducts a peaceful protest with due permission such permission will be granted and everyone has the right to carry out such protests On the other hand creating political instability intentionally protesting without permission or resorting to violence is unacceptable under any circumstances and necessary action will be taken against it Fadnavis saidHe maintained that authorities are obligated to act whenever public order is threatenedChief Minister alleges outside elements infiltrated protestFadnavis further claimed that large protest movements without clear leadership often become vulnerable to infiltration by groups seeking to pursue unrelated political agendasWhenever any agitation becomes faceless or leaderless certain elements infiltrate it They try to take advantage of the situation and use the platform to serve their own interests Even in Delhi during the protests several political parties tried to capitalise on the situation Many organisations that had nothing to do with the issue tried to create chaos When an agitation lacks leadership as we saw in Delhi Police vehicles were damaged overturned and stones were pelted at the police he saidHe alleged that such elements contributed to the disorder witnessed during Mondays protestFadnavis backs police responseDefending the police action the Chief Minister said governments do not prefer using force against citizens but argued that the circumstances required intervention by law enforcement agenciesI want to emphasise that no government likes to use lathi charges on its own citizens But considering the situation yesterday if the police hadnt controlled it several unnecessary incidents could have occurred The police showed great restraint and took only the necessary action to manage the protest appropriately Fadnavis saidDelhi Police has maintained that force was used only after protesters allegedly became violent and attempted to breach security barricadesSays not all protesters were responsibleFadnavis clarified that he was not blaming every participant in the demonstration and acknowledged that many may have joined the protest with genuine concernsI am not accusing all protesters Some might be participating with good intentions However it is certain that elements driven by selfinterest who have nothing to do with the actual issue such as NEET or when the exam was held have infiltrated to create anarchy and advance their own agenda he saidWhen people who are unaware of the core issue start pushing their own agendas it means not everyone is aligned toward a single cause Miscellaneous elements are trying to fulfil their interests he addedProtest continues amid NEET controversyThe Chief Ministers remarks came as the CJP continued its agitation over the alleged NEETUG 2026 paper leak and its demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra PradhanOn Monday the partys march towards Parliament turned violent after clashes with police Separately a CJP delegation met Union Health Minister and Rajya Sabha Leader of the House JP Nadda to press its demands including Pradhans resignationMeanwhile Delhi Police has registered FIRs against unidentified persons in connection with allegations of rioting vandalism stonepelting and damage to public property during the protestWith inputs from ANI