Patiala Courts scuffle: Delhi Police register two FIRs

Delhi Police have registered two FIRs on Tuesday, firstly, over the incident where some lawyers manhandled journalists and students of Jawaharlal Nehru University who were present at Patiala House Courts complex for the hearing of JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar on Monday. The second FIR was filed in the case where BJP MLA O P Sharma was seen roughing up students in the court complex.

Addressing reporters at the function of 69th Raising Day of Delhi Police, B S Bassi, Delhi Police Chief, said: “We have registered an FIR in connection with the incident that occurred in the court yesterday (Monday). We are looking into the matter.” Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who also attended the event, said: “An inquiry is on over the incident.”

Advocate Amit Srivastava, working as a Delhi high court lawyer registered a complaint against lawyers who brutally thrashed him. He said: “I was returning from Tis Hazari and was going towards Delhi high court when I saw a commotion at the Patiala Court. There lawyers were beating a man in plain clothes. When I tried to save him, they pushed me away. I took out my phone and started recording everything when they took away my phone and beat me up.”

According to senior police officials, an FIR has been registered at the Tilak Marg police station against unruly lawyers who thrashed mediapersons and even attacked JNU professors who had come to attend Kumar’s hearing. “We have registered a case at the Tilak Marg police station. Investigation is on,” said Jatin Narwal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi). “We are scanning the CCTV footage of the court premises to establish the identity of the lawyers who were involved,” said a senior police official.

Confirming that Delhi Police are the complainant in both the cases, Narwal said: “Delhi Police are the complainant in connection with a case registered against BJP MLA O P Sharma for allegedly beating a man in the vicinity of the Patiala House Courts on Monday. A case has been registered at the Tilak Marg police station Investigation is on.”