IPS officers express anger over police beatings …
WEB DESK/ AGENCIES / NEW DELHI
Advocates in the Delhi High Court and all district courts went on strike on Monday to protest against the clash that took place between lawyers and the Delhi Police in the Tis Hazari Court complex on Saturday.
The lawyers not only protested on roads by stopping vehicles but also reportedly beat up journalists and cops, reports India Today.
The Tis Hazari clash has led to lawyers in lower courts across the country, including those in Delhi, going on strike today, despite the Bar Council of India urging its members to “maintain peace and harmony and not resort to any sort of abstention or boycott”.
According to News 18, While lawyers were misbehaving and beating people up, all police did was watch from a distance in case things went out of hand.
Further, an on-duty policeman was allegedly thrashed by advocates outside Saket Court on Monday, officials said.
Sharing a video of the Tis Hazari incident where a policeman is seen being dragged and beaten by over 50 lawyers in the court premises, senior IPS officer Aslam Khan posted on Twitter, “Any opinion? This was the starting point of tussle what I could guess. For how long police will be at receiving end just because they have no support and leadership.”
In a video of the purported incident, lawyers were seen beating up the policeman who is riding a bike. One of the lawyer was also seen slapping the policeman.
Lawyers and police clashed at the Tis Hazari Court complex here on Saturday during which at least 20 police personnel and several lawyers were injured while many vehicles vandalised or set on fire, according to officials.
“No one is above the law…Hoolingans must be punished even if they are masquerading as lawyers. Tis Hazari incident has shaken the collective consciousness of whole society. Time has come lawyers read the law! . says IPS Dr. Sagar Preet Hooda on twitter.
Meanwhile, some of the officers are also shocked and dismayed by the fact that the HC order has not been challenged in the Supreme Court.
An ACP rank officer said, “While we are sitting demoralised, the lawyers are being encouraged to take law into own their hands. They are not just thrashing policemen, but beating up autowallahs for making videos of their atrocities. If this is not hooliganism then what is?”
Distress has also seeped in the lower rungs as no senior officer has paid a visit to constables who are recovering in hospitals after suffering injuries in the clash. One of them who was hurt while trying to save a senior colleague said, “No one has come to the hospital. As if we are no one to the senior officers.”
On Monday, the IPS Association put out a statement on Twitter that read, “The incident involving police & lawyers is unfortunate. All should take a balanced view of it based on facts in public domain. All police personnel stand in solidarity with those subjected to physical assault & humiliation. (We) Condemn any attempt to break the law, by anyone!”
What led to the clash at Tis Hazari?
Reports say the scuffle between the advocates and the policemen erupted after a lawyer parked his vehicle outside a lock-up used to keep criminals at the Tiz Hazari court. Lawyers claimed that their colleague who had an important hearing in the court had to face rude behavior from the police constables who asked him not to park the vehicle there.
As things hit heated up between the lawyer and the constables, the former was taken to the police lock-up which other advocates objected to and damaged police vehicles present at the spot.
“How can you put an advocate in lock-up. We are lawyers not criminals,” an agitated advocate said.
Eyewitnesses say that seeing the situation going out of control, police decided to fire in the air to disperse the agitating advocates but a bullet hit the advocate who was kept in the lock-up, turning the situation ugly.
“How can we believe that the bullet was not aimed at him? If the policeman had fired in the air then how the advocate inside look-up got into its way?” a bar council member questioned as he narrated the sequence of events that followed led to the violent face-off.
In view of the strike by lawyers in the Tis Hazari court, security is being enhanced in other courts in Delhi also.