Delhi cops take to streets against lawyers’ attacks
PROTESTS Thousands gather outside police headquarters over ‘lack of support’
NEW DELHI: Hundreds of police personnel walked off the job and protested outside Delhi Police headquarters on Tuesday in an unprecedented public demonstration of anger over an assault on members of the force by lawyers after a violent clash on the weekend and to express their resentment at senior officers not rising to their support.
Wearing black arm bands and waving placards, the policemen and women, of the rank of constable, head constable, assistant sub-inspector and sub-inspector,marched on their HQ, located in the Income Tax Office area in central Delhi, where the number of protestors eventually swelled to around 2,000, according to eyewitness accounts.
They didn’t heed repeated appeals by Commissioner Amulya Patnaik to go back to work, staying on at the venue until after dusk. Some of the protestors were accompanied by their families. As night fell, dozens/hundreds marched on to India Gate, the World War I memorial in the city’s central vista
“We have to behave like a disciplined force. The government and the people expect us to uphold the law, it is our big responsibility. I urge you to resume duty,” Patnaik told the protesting police personnel, some of whom were in their uniforms sans their nameplates. “The last few days have been testing for us. A judicial enquiry is underway and I request you to have faith in the process.”
Deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Eish Singhal assured the protesting police personnel that their concerns would be addressed.“your concerns and anger have been conveyed to senior officials and I want to assure you that your protest here will not be unsuccessful,” Singhal said.
Such appeals didn’t work as the crowd of protestors, some of whom chanted “justice, justice,” built up steadily, disrupting traffic in the normally congested ITO area Political parties including Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress waded into the controversy, criticizing