Things not in control ... CJP protest turns violent again, 5 cops injured as miscreants throw stones at police
Warning the Centre against taking action against the protesters, Congress leader K C Venugopal said, "Be warned, Mr. Modi — any untoward step to quash this youth protest will be deeply disastrous and the people will deliver a historic punishment against you."
The Delhi Metro shut 16 stations in Central Delhi from 7.30 am as security was intensified across the national capital.
This was the third consecutive day of clashes between protesters and security personnel.
The CJP also said it would seek a guarantee from the government that no fresh FIRs or punitive action would be taken against students and youth who participated in the agitation.
"Anti-social elements have been joining the gathering", sources said particularly during the evening hours, escalating tensions and creating disturbances.
Delhi Police teams were stationed at the designated protest site as part of routine security arrangements when the protesters suddenly turned aggressive and launched the attack.
The RAF and police personnel then resorted to limited force and fired two to three tear gas shells before clearing the area.
In a statement, Delhi Police said the violence broke out at around 8.30 pm near Tolstoy Marg in Connaught Place, where "some miscreants attacked the police with stones and bottles", injuring ACP Connaught Place Vivek Bhagat.
Senior officers shifted him to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital for treatment.
"The situation remained tense for a few minutes, but peace has now been restored," the police said.
Several Delhi Police personnel, including two Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs), two inspectors and another policeman, were injured after protesters associated with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) clashed with security forces near Jantar Mantar on Wednesday evening.
Security personnel initially tried to persuade the protesters to disperse peacefully. Police also called CJP leaders and organisers to the spot and asked them to appeal to the crowd to maintain calm, but the protesters allegedly ignored even the appeals of their own organisers.
The agitation at Jantar Mantar began on June 20, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak and other examination irregularities. The protest later gained momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the movement and began an indefinite hunger strike in support of the students' demands.
While the CJP has appealed to Wangchuk to end his fast, he has maintained that he will do so only after the government gives an unequivocal assurance that no retaliatory action will be taken against protesters.
From one-liners to satirical digs, the placards have become one of the defining features of the protests
Smartphones have turned ordinary people into chroniclers of political upheaval, recording moments that might otherwise disappear.
"The act of capturing a protest is often an end in itself," she said. "Their message is more like: 'This happened. We were there. We will remember.'"
The humour, too, followed a pattern. No young protester described the day as funny. They spoke instead of tear gas, baton charges and the confusion of watching a peaceful march descend into chaos, reports BBC.
ends
No comments:
Post a Comment