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New Delhi: Delhi Police is examining thousands of videos, social media broadcasts and mobile phone records to identify those involved in the July 20 clashes and establish whether the July 20 violence was pre-planned or erupted spontaneously, sources said on Friday.

Experts are analysing mobile phone recordings, CCTV footage, livestreams and social media content to identify individuals seen attacking police personnel and damaging public property, they said.

“Teams will investigate videos uploaded on various social media platforms, besides content circulated on messaging application groups,” a police source said. The police are trying to match faces, clothing, movements and locations with surveillance footage and photographs captured during the violence.

“Every digital file is being authenticated to establish its originality and timeline before it can be used as evidence. Metadata, timestamps and geolocation details embedded in videos and photographs are also being examined wherever available,” the source said.

The member of the force said investigators are also identifying people who went live on social media during the protests, believing such broadcasts could provide an uninterrupted sequence of events and reveal the presence of individuals who later participated in violence.

The police are exploring whether data preservation requests need to be issued to major social media platforms to ensure that livestreams, deleted videos, and user account information relevant to the investigation are not lost before legal requests are processed.

Investigators have started analysing Call Detail Records (CDRs), mobile tower locations and communication patterns of several suspects to determine whether protesters coordinated before trying to breach police barricades.

“The exercise is aimed at reconstructing the movement of suspects before, during and after the clashes. Tower dump analysis from locations surrounding Parliament Street, Jantar Mantar and adjoining areas is also being carried out to identify common mobile numbers present at multiple locations during the period of violence,” the source said.

Delhi Police has assigned the Special Cell and Crime Branch to investigate the July 20 clashes.

The city police on Thursday claimed it had identified more than 480 Pakistan-based social media handles allegedly involved in spreading misinformation amid the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar, saying the same accounts had been active during Operation Sindoor.

In a post on social media, a police officer said Pakistan-based social media handles were taking advantage of the prevailing situation to circulate rumours, fake posts, and edited videos with the intent of instigating students.

“We have noticed that misinformation is being circulated on various social media platforms. So far, we have identified over 480 Pakistani social media handles that are taking advantage of the current situation to spread rumours. We are getting these handles blocked. These are the same handles which were active during Operation Sindoor,” the officer said.