UNREST IN THE RANKS
POLICE PROTEST Cops surround own HQ, seek action against lawyers for attacks near Tis Hazari, Saket courts ACTION PROMISED Thousands wave banners, march to India Gate; stir ends at 8pm after key demands are met
NEW DELHI: Thousands of police personnel protested outside the 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 for not rising to their support.
The protest, which began at 8am at an arterial road adjacent to the HQ, was called off at 8pm after repeated assurances by top officials, including police commissioner Amulya Patnaik, that their key demands related to the assault by lawyers were being met. Wearing black armbands and waving placards, the policemen and women, of the rank of constable, head constable, assistant sub-inspector, sub-inspector and inspector, marched on their HQ, located in the Income Tax Office (ITO) area in central Delhi, where the number of protesters eventually swelled to about 3,000, according to eyewitness accounts.
During the day, they did not heed repeated appeals by the police commissioner to go back to work, staying on at the venue until after dusk, dispersing only at 8pm. Some of the protesters were accompanied by their families. As night fell, scores 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 inquiry 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.
The appeals did not immediately work as the crowd of protesters, 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 (AAP) and the Congress, waded into the controversy, criticising 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. 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.
Delhi’s lieutenant governor (L-G) Anil Baijal reviewed the situation in the wake of the unprecedented protest and said it was imperative to ensure justice is done impartially in the entire matter. Baijal observed that advocates and police were “important pillars of the criminal justice system” and they should work in harmony, according to a statement.
The protest came three days after a dispute over a lawyer parking his car near the police lock-up in Tis Hazari court complex in north Delhi turned into a violent clash between the police and lawyers.