A huge disaster has been saved by the Delhi policemen despite being roughed up by the lawyers at the Tis Hazari court complex on Saturday as the alertness of Delhi police officials made sure that nearly 150 dangerous criminals did not escape from their custody.
Reportedly, the violent clashes which erupted between police and lawyers at Tis Hazari Courts complex on Saturday could have turned into a disaster as more than 150 hardened criminals could have been out on the streets.
The police who were outnumbered and cornered by the lawyers but with their presence of mind, fastened the gates of the lock-up at the court with handcuffs and stationed a table there so that the lawyers could not force their way inside.
Reportedly, the CCTV footage and mobile videos revealed the unfolding of events during the clashes between cops and lawyers at Tis Hazari court complex on Saturday noon. The lawyers kicked and threw tables and chairs to break the lock-up gate. The handcuffs and the table helped reduce the impact of the pounding.
In the meantime, the police got alerted and moved the inmates into a room at the far end of the lock-up to prevent them from escaping. A few policemen even formed a human chain at the entrance of the corridor to block their view.
However, just when the policemen thought that they had succeeded in their plan, dramatically a bike at the gate went up in flames. As the situation turned dangerous, the policemen continued their duty taking a risk of falling unconscious due to the smoke. Also, petrol had spilt on the ground and there was a chance that the tank could have exploded.
However, the policemen brought the situation under control by throwing water from their camper to douse the fire. Another cop broke open the window panes behind the lock-up to allow the smoke to go out.
As the stand-off didn’t end for 15 minutes, the policemen decided to take a calculated risk. They divided themselves into two teams. One team took the responsibility of stopping the advocates from entering the lock-up and the other group was to secure the criminals in a corner until reinforcements arrived.
To the respite of the policemen, reinforcements arrived and the inmates were packed into vans and taken back to jail.
This alarming episode has now prompted the Special Branch of Delhi Police to issue instructions regarding the handling of inmates until the situation returned to normal. In a message released to the special commissioner (law and order) on Saturday, the special branch asked for providing security at all police posts and lockups with extra focus on those located in court premises.
“Undertrial prisoners may not be allowed to be transported to courts until the situation turns normal. The arrangement is made for video conferencing in urgent and important cases. The judges may be requested to hold courts in jail concerned,” the circular read. It was also advised not to take undertrials outside jails for medical examination.
Tis Hazari incident:
A fight started over the issue of parking at Tis Hazari court flared into a battle between lawyers and policemen on Saturday afternoon.
The incident began around 3 pm on Saturday when a policeman of the Delhi Police got into a fight with a lawyer over parking his car outside the jail lockup, a space reserved for jail vans. However, the argument turned violent when a group of lawyers who were campaigning for the bar council elections got into a heated exchange with the police.
The cops allegedly dragged a few of them and took them to the lockup. While this was happening, some lawyers reportedly set a few bikes parked outside the lockup on fire. Lawyers even attacked journalists, covering the incident.
Later, the police lathi-charged the lawyers and reportedly damaged their cars and chambers on the court premises. The Delhi Police claimed 20 police officers and 12 lawyers were injured in the clash.
During the clash, an advocate named Vijay Verma was allegedly shot, leading to lawyers setting up fire on police vans. The lawyer was admitted to St. Stephen’s hospital and is under observation.
However, the lawyers did not stop at Tis Hazari court. They continued their vandalism after they went on a violent rampage and indulged in yet another scuffle with a policeman near the Saket district court in Delhi.
The lawyers were seen unleashing crude hooliganism against a police official by slapping him and later throwing a helmet on him. The unfortunate policeman, in a bid to save himself from further beating at the hands of the lawyers, takes a u-turn on his bike and escapes away.
On Monday, lawyers at Delhi’s Karkardooma court reportedly beat up a policeman and have misbehaved with a woman journalist. Social media posts also say that common men, including litigants and some court staff members, have been attacked by the lawyers too.
