Clashes erupt during protest over minor’s rape, 11 arrested
NEW DELHI :Protests over the rape of a nine-year-old girl in south Delhi’s Rangpuri turned violent on Friday night as over 500 people blocked traffic and clashed with police on Vasant Kunj Road.
Police said 11 people were arrested for “rioting and instigating violence” by Saturday.
As police forces were called to clear miles of traffic jam caused due to the protests over Wednesday night’s rape, police officials said they had to resort to lathicharge as some people from the crowd started pelting stones.
Around 10 policemen were injured and 12 vehicles, including a police van, were vandalised in the clashes, the police said.
Police said they have arrested 11 people who had allegedly instigated the violence and a case of rioting has been registered.
Deputy commissioner of police (southwest) Devender Arya said that a PCR call reporting a traffic jam was received at the Vasant Kunj South police station at 7.17pm.
“On this, sufficient staff from the police station reached the spot where around 500 to 600 people of the Rangpuri Pahari slum cluster were protesting and had blocked both carriageways of Chhatarpur-Mahipalpur Road. On enquiry, it was revealed that the crowd was protesting over Wednesday’s rape of a minor girl. The crowd was informed that we have already arrested the accused. They were also requested to clear the blockade and to maintain peace, but they started pelting stones on the police as well as on the public vehicles stranded in the traffic jam,” the DCP said.
“Mild force was used to maintain law and order and ensure no loss of life or public property is caused. Two assistant commissioners of police, two inspectors, one assistant sub inspector, one head constable and four constables sustained injuries in the incident.”
Rangpuri residents, meanwhile, alleged that the police “damaged their houses” and “dragged people out of their houses” in a combing operation late on Friday night.
“Everyone in my house was unaware of what was happening outside. Suddenly, around 10pm, four to five policemen wearing helmets and armed with baton broke our main door and window panes. As we stepped outside, they started thrashing my uncle and my brother. I, along with my mother, tried to intervene but we were thrashed by the cops,” said a 16-year-old Rangpuri resident who did not wish to be identified.
A woman from the same neighbourhood said she came to know on Saturday morning that her brother was among the people who had allegedly been detained from Rangpuri on Friday night.
“My brother is a loader at Delhi airport and was returning home from work. Around 9pm, when he reached the main road, he saw the protesters. The clashes started around the same time that he arrived there and the police detained him for no reason whatsoever,” the woman, who requested anonymity, said.
On Saturday, DCP Arya said police officials had met Rangpuri residents who had assured him of full cooperation. “The situation is peaceful now, but we have maintained the deployment of force as a precautionary measure.”
AROUND 10 POLICEMEN WERE INJURED AND 12 VEHICLES, INCLUDING A POLICE VAN, WERE VANDALISED IN THE CLASHES, SAY POLICE