The Supreme Court-mandated High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC), constituted to probe all aspects of violence during protests at Jantar Mantar and other locations in July, has launched a dedicated portal, hpec.nic.in, to facilitate complaints and submissions from affected persons, including police personnel.The committee will prioritise issues concerning the use of pellet guns, targeted violence and harassment of female protesters and allegations of excessive violence and destruction of property by either side, the panel said in a statement on Saturday.The portal has been designed to protect vulnerable witnesses and enable affected persons to keep their identities confidential, if they so wish. The portal divides complainants into three categories — affected persons, persons seeking confidentiality and protection as vulnerable witnesses and individuals providing anonymous information.Under the first category, ‘affected persons’, complainants may include police personnel, paramilitary personnel, home guards, civil volunteers and other individuals apart from protesters.Affected persons and other stakeholders have been encouraged to upload complaints, representations and supporting material using the prescribed formats. Anyone wishing to share relevant information or suggestions may also use the portal.Those preferring to submit their complaints, representations or supporting documents physically can do so at the committee’s office at Shiksha Sadan, Rouse Avenue Institutional Area, New Delhi. Submissions may also be sent by post or email, according to the ministry’s statement.The committee was constituted by the Supreme Court through its order dated August 18. It is headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice R Subhash Reddy. Its other members are Justice Ravi Shanker Jha, former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Justice Shalinder Kaur, former judge of the Delhi High Court; former CBI director Rishi Kumar Shukla; and retired Meghalaya DGP Dr LR Bishnoi.Among the issues to be examined are allegations of excessive or disproportionate force by police and other security agencies, including the use of pellet guns, electric batons, lathi charges and tear gas without adequate warning or proportionality. The committee will also examine allegations of targeted violence, harassment, molestation and secondary victimisation of female protesters.Its mandate includes examining the medical assistance and compensation provided to alleged victims of police excesses, as well as injuries sustained by police personnel and the mental and emotional trauma experienced by their families.During the protest organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on July 20, hundreds of students had converged at Jantar Mantar and faced coercive action by the police and paramilitary personnel, including use of pellet guns, when they had tried to March towards Parliament House.The coercive action by security personnel had led to huge backlash across the country against them, leading to the formation of the committee by the Supreme Court.