India, Oct. 15 -- Delhi Police commissioner Anurag Kumar has defended the denial of permission for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)'s October 10 march and the preventive detention of protesters as "proportionate to the legitimate objective of maintaining law and order and preventing harm to persons and property", asserting that the police administration could not have allowed breach of public order by an organisation with a recent history of mob violence, destruction of properties and incidents causing injuries to several people.

In a counter-affidavit filed in response to contempt proceedings over alleged non-compliance with the Supreme Court's directions on regulating public transport during the protest, the police commissioner describe...