On Tuesday (6th April) videos of a clash between the Delhi government’s civil defence volunteers and passersby went viral on social media. The incident was reported from the streets of South Delhi’s Hauz Khas area on Monday afternoon, where a Delhi Civil Defence (DCD) volunteer was seen beating a youth with a belt and thereafter the officer was attacked by a group of irate crowd.
In the first video, a DCD officer is seen hitting a youth in a plain blue T-shirt with a belt. Another man intervenes. He somehow pacifies the angered officer and pulls him away.
Kejriwal Government’s Civil Defence Army Got into Fight with a Driver in South Delhi for Not wearing Mask .
— Megh Updates 🚨 (@MeghUpdates) April 6, 2021
Video of a Civil Defence Employee beating Driver with Belt . FIR registered from Both sides pic.twitter.com/LpcmRzzSdu
In another video men in plain clothes were seen attacking the uniformed civil defence volunteers. A group of men are seen kicking an official lying on the road. The police had reportedly found this video during the investigation of the incident.
#UPDATE: Police found another video during investigation when the 20-year-old student along with passersby attacked the civil defence volunteers. Cross FIRs have been registered at Hauz Khas police Station. @IndianExpress, @ieDelhi pic.twitter.com/YrK7SSuIzs
— Mahender Singh Manral (@mahendermanral) April 6, 2021
The scuffle broke out reportedly when the volunteers were carrying out a mask-checking exercise in the area. Three officers have been reported to be injured in the incident.
FIRs have been registered by both parties at the Hauz Khas police station, according to media reports.
In what transpired, the DCD personnel stopped a car near a traffic signal near the IIT-Delhi in the Hauz Khas area. According to police as the traffic signal turned green, another car which was being driven by a student identified as Gitesh Dagar applied the brakes suddenly following which a third car hit his car. This enraged Dagar, who got out of his car and confronted the officials.
This led to a heated argument between the 20-year-old Gitesh Dagar and Delhi Civil Defence (DCD) volunteers, who were issuing challans to people not wearing masks. The argument soon turned violent at a traffic signal in South Delhi. The DCD volunteers were then seen hitting the student with a belt after which, the latter, along with a few other people passing by attacked the DCD personnel.
Speaking about the incident, DCP (South), Atul Kumar Thakur said: “The incident came to light after we received a PCR call at around 3 pm on Monday. The DCD employees, who were issuing challans to people not wearing masks at a traffic signal near the IIT gate, had stopped Gitesh Dagar’s car. He was travelling with his aunt and her daughter from a doctor’s clinic. On stopping the car while the traffic light was green, a vehicle from behind rammed into Dagar’s car following which he came out and started arguing with the volunteers.”
Thakur added that the DCD volunteers allegedly hit the student with a belt. Following this, the student and a few other people, who had gathered there, started beating the volunteers. “They have sustained injuries and have been shifted to a hospital for treatment. FIRs have been lodged against both the parties and a probe is on to ascertain what exactly happened,” said DCP (South).
