Delhi Police
Delhi Police, which reports to the central government.
“How is the Josh? Low, Sir,” read the slogan on one placard, a take-off on a dialogue in the movie Uri, based on the 2016 surgical strikes carried out by Indian soldiers across the line of control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmiri territory. The answer in the movie is “High, sir.”
“We are human in police uniforms”, “We are not punching bags” and “Protectors Need Protection,” read some of the other slogans.
The protest came three days after a dispute over a lawyer parking his car near the police lock-up intis Hazari court complex in north Delhi turned into a violent clash between the police and lawyers.
The clash left 20 policemen some lawyers injured. On Monday, l a wyer s c h a s e d a n d attacked policement, journalists and civilians in and around the district courts in South Delhi’s Saket. A video showed lawyers slapping and elbowing a policeman and vandalising police property.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju shared the video on Twitter, saying: “Let’s not take law into our hands. It’s not question of supporting any group”.
Such clashes between the lawyers and law enforcers have taken place in the past as well, notably in 1988 and 1997, but it was t he f i r s t t i me t hat t he 89,00-strong police force had ever staged a public protest.
Seething resentment in the police ranks over action taken against their men, while the lawyers were spared, was the trigger for Tuesday’s protest.
On Sunday, the high court took up Saturday’s clash, and ordered the transfer of two senior police officers, the suspension of two other officers and compensation to the injured lawyers.
No similar action against the lawyers was ordered and no compensation offered to the injured policemen. “The videos were evident but the court did not pass any order against lawyers, “one of the protesting officers said. Another said they were upset with Delhi chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for siding with the lawyers and for not meeting the injured police officers.
Several serving and retired police officers have voiced their concern about the treatment of policemen during and after the clashes with lawyers.
Former police commissioner Neeraj Kumar said the video of the policeman being beaten up gave the impression that “there is no rule of law and the police are people meant to be beaten up”.
“There is no rule of law and the police seem redundant. This is a most reprehensible situation and something needs to be done urgently. Also, if one section (advocates) of the society doesn’t bother about the law, all other people will think why should they care about the law,” said Kumar.
“Saddened to see such treatment meted out to Police officers who spend their entire lives protecting civil society and maintaining law & order,” tweeted former Jammu and Kashmir director general of police S P Vaid.
The protest at police headquarters was peaceful. A message shared by the police to call their colleagues to gather outside the protest venue read: “Our silent gathering is supposed to make more effect and it will empower our seniors but any protest, violence, misbehaviour or anything wrong will not only malign our image in public but also supposed to create a problem for seniors”.
Policemen attending the protest said they had expected their seniors to stand by them, but that didn’t happen. “Hardly any senior officer even visited our colleagues injured in the clash with lawyers,” said a policeman, refusing to identify himself.
Another s a i d t ha t t he y expected senior officers to take a stand for them in court and elsewhere. “Lawyers beat us up and taunted us even on Monday. We couldn’t even defend ourselves out of fear that we would be suspended or dismissed,” said another.
AAP on Tuesday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the protest by Delhi Police, saying the force had been converted into a “political entity” that ignores its basic duty of maintaining law and order.
“The Police is least concerned about basic law and order issues in Delhi. Police officers are so arrogant. Delhi Police has been converted into political entity and works like an armed wing of the BJP,” AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said.
He also attacked federal home minister Amit Shah, to whom the Delhi Police ultimately reports. “Mr Amit Shah has completely failed the law and order situation in Delhi. Law and Order situation in Delhi is at its worst in last 70 years.
The Congress on Tuesday said the police protesting on the roads in the national capital was a “new low” for India since independence and questioned Shah’s silence on the issue. to.
“Where will BJP take the country? Where is India’s HM, Sh. Amit Shah,” Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala wrote on Twitter.
“Who is going to protect the law and order and citizens of the national capital of Delhi.is this the new India that the BJP used to tell us about,” he asked.
The Bar Council of India wrote to lawyers’ associations asking them to identify lawyers “indulging in hooliganism” and requested advocates to end their protest, which is “bringing a bad name to the institution”.
BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, in his letter, said sparing such “rowdy elements” was tarnishing image of the institution and it was the inaction and tolerance of bar bodies that encouraged these lawyers, which would ultimately result in “contempt proceedings by the high courts or Supreme Court”.
“The way some lawyers are acting even after such a nice step of Delhi High Court, yesterday’s (November 4) behaviour of few lawyers has disturbed us... Abstaining from Court or resorting to violence will not help us, rather by doing this we are losing the sympathy of courts, Inquiring judge, CBI, IB and Vigilance. Even general public’s opinion is going adverse to us. Result may be dangerous,” Mishra said in his letter.
The Union home ministry on Tuesday received a report from Del hi Pol i c e o n t he c l a s h between lawyers and police at the Tis Hazari court complex.
It is a factual report in which Delhi Police has detailed the circumstances leading to Saturday’s clash and the action taken after it, a home ministry official said.
Delhi’s lieutenant governor Anil Baijal reviewed the situation in the wake of an unprecedented protest by Delhi Police personnel and said it was imperative to ensure justice is done impartially in the entire matter.
According to a statement issued by the LG’S office, special commissioner (intelligence) Praveer Ranjan briefed the lieutenant governor about the prevailing situation and also on related high court orders.
The LG observed that advocates and police are important pillars ofthe criminal justice system and they should work inharmony, it said.
“In the wake of the recent unfortunate incident, it is imperative to restore the trust between the two and also to ensure that justice is done impartially in the entire matter,” the statement quoted Baijal as saying.
Reacting to comments made by BJP leaders after the core team meeting, Raut said, “I haven’t heard what they (BJP) leaders said. But if they have indeed spoken about discussing the sharing of CM’S post, then I must say it is very understanding of them.”
The Sena leader said, “We want a written assurance from BJP (over sharing the CM’S post) as has been our stand from day one.”
Raut’s demand was dismissed by BJP minister Girish Mahajan, who retorted: Are we Pakistan to give a written assurance?
Meanwhile, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said a political alternative can be worked out in Maharashtra if the Shiv Sena
declared that it had snapped the ties with the BJP.
NCP sources said their party wants Arvind Sawant, the lone
Sena minister in the Union government, to resign before going ahead further with Sena.
“Nothing like it if the BJP gives the Shiv Sena chief minister’s post. But if the BJP is refusing, an alternative can be given. But the Sena should declare that it is no longer associated with the BJP and NDA. An alternative can be provided after that,” NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said.
Amid the impasse over government formation, farm activist Kishore Tiwari, who joined t he Shiv Sena ahead of t he Assembly polls, said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat should depute Union minister Nitin Gadkari to resolve t h e p o wer- t u s s l e between the BJP and the Sena.
In a letter to Bhagwat, Tiwari said the RSS chief should take a serious note of the situation and intervene to end the deadlock over government formation in Maharashtra.
He said people were worried over the Sangh’s “silence” on the issue.