Cops end 11-hr protest
NEW DELHI: The unprecedented protests by policemen in Delhi that started Tuesday morning ended after nearly 11 hours after assurances of action from Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and the top police officers. The clashes between the police and lawyers that started over the weekend had spiralled out of control as more than a thousand policemen gathered outside the Delhi police headquarters, demanding justice and protection. Service rules bar policemen from holding protests; the unprecedented demonstration had the Centre on its toes and caught the attention of the courts. The Delhi High Court issued a notice to the top lawyers' bodies - the Bar Councils of India and Delhi. The home ministry called for a report. After a meeting in the evening, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal assured action. The police from Haryana and Bihar extended support to their colleagues in Delhi.
At least a thousand policemen gathered outside the police headquarters since Tuesday morning, blocking an arterial road of the city. The policemen are upset over what they perceive as a lack of the government's concern about their well-being. The lack of any response from the government or their senior officers to Saturday's clash at a Delhi court - where at least 20 policemen were injured -was the tipping point. The guilty have gone unpunished, and many of the assembled policemen said they fear being targetted when in uniform.
The protesting officers have submitted a 10-point charter, which includes the creation of a Police Protection Act. Delhi police chief Amulya Patnaik was heckled by his officers when he came to soothe ruffled feathers and persuade them to return to their posts.
The Delhi Police is under the control of the Union Home Ministry. Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, who is the Centre's representative in Delhi, has called a meeting with officials of the Delhi Police. At the meeting, Baijal said advocates and police are "important pillars of the criminal justice system who should work in complete harmony... it is imperative to restore the trust between the two and ensure that justice is done impartially".
