Protesters near Ryan International School face wrath of police lathi-charge

GURUGRAM: Chaos prevailed outside the gates of Ryan International School in Bhondsi on Sunday, as police lathi-charged the protestors and journalists who had gathered to raise their voice against the murder of a seven-year-old boy at the school.

The police crackdown started after angry agitators torched a liquor shop located a few metres away from the school and broke some windows of the school.

The provocation forced law enforcement officials to charge on to the people and use force to disperse the growing crowd in the area.

Reports said that journalists of print and electronic media, who were covering the protests, were specifically targeted. Over seven scribes were wounded in the incident, with three sustaining severe injuries.

Besides physically beating them black and blue, the cameras and smartphones of these professionals were also broken.

In addition to constables, senior police officials like the area SHO and officers of the rank of ACP were also at the spot of the protests, where people were beaten up with sticks.

Some cops also reportedly hurled abuses at the protesters to intimidate them.

Ironically, the violent action against protesters took place when Haryana Education minister Ram Bilas Sharma was addressing mediapersons over the action taken by the state government in the murder probe.

When asked about the lathi-charge by the police, the minister claimed that he did not have information about the violence that had taken place.

Meanwhile, as Gurugram and several nearby cities witnessed a large outpouring of sympathy over the murder of sever-year-old Pradhyuman Thakur, his father Varun beseeched people to not indulge in violence and put their point across calmly.

Senior political leaders from opposition in Haryana, who visited Gurugram on Saturday, hit back at the police brutallity. Some also visited the hospital where injured journalists were receiving treatment.

"The action of the police clearly reflects the mindset of the government which wants to silence the voice of dissent. The shocking murder has shaken the consciousness of the people and they want the government to fix accountability on those who are responsible for the child's death," said former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.