Hyderabad: A seemingly minor scuffle, which broke out between a group of lawyers and the Delhi police officials, outside the Tis Hazari district court in the national capital on Saturday, snowballed into a major controversy, marred with protests and demonstrations.
The row escalated to widespread protest and turned the city into a virtual battleground.
Hundreds of Delhi Police personnel on Tuesday gheraoed the Police Headquarters (PHQ) to protest against repeated incidents of violence against them by lawyers.
Delhi Commissioner of Police Amulya Patnaik also addressed the police personnel protesting at the headquarters.
Reacting over the situation, he said that an FIR has been registered in the incidents in which police personnel were assaulted.
Read: Tis Hazari clash: Kiren Rijiju deletes tweet supporting Delhi Police
Similar such incidents have been majorly reported over the years in other parts of the country:
- The Tis Hazari complex was also a witness to the unprecedented incident where former IPS officer Kiran Bedi, who was the then Deputy Commissioner of Delhi Police, had in January 1988 ordered lathi charge on advocates protesting against the arrest of a lawyer for alleged theft.
- Besides, in January this year, over a dozen persons, including policemen, were injured when a group of lawyers clashed with the police in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki. The incident took place on Lucknow-Faizabad National Highway after a group of advocates blocked traffic near a police station, demanding lodging of an FIR against policemen, who allegedly misbehaved with their colleague
Madurai, February 2009:
What started as an argument between an angry lawyer and a police officer in the Madras High Court soon turned into violent clashes.
Pitched battles between lawyers and police personnel were witnessed in the court premises for several hours after policemen tried to arrest an advocate who had allegedly attacked the then Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy, now a BJP MP, with eggs while he was arguing a case inside the court hall of Madras High Court on February 17, 2009.
Over 50 lawyers and a sitting judge of the high court, 20 policemen, dozens of bystanders and two journalists were injured in the tussle.
Police lobbed tear gas shells and cane-charged advocates to bring the situation under control. The TV footage showed policemen and lawyers alike breaking windscreens of private vehicles parked inside the court compound.
Police claimed protesters damaged 12 government buses.
Bengaluru, March 2012:
Lawyers in the Bengaluru civil court attacked media crew and police parties seeking their removal from the premises.
The agitated lawyers pelted stones for hours and set a police vehicle afire. The lawyers were angry that the media showed them in poor light when they had launched a road blockade agitation earlier this year.
The incident took place when media persons thronged the court premises to cover former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy's production in a court in connection with an illegal mining case.
Angry lawyers hurled stones at media persons and the latter reciprocated. Earlier, the lawyers got agitated following an argument with the police and clashed with reporters and camerapersons outside the court complex.
Protesting the attack, media persons later held a protest outside the Vidhan Soudha.
Allahabad, March 2015:
An advocate was shot dead and another critically injured by a sub-inspector inside a district court premises in Allahabad following which lawyers went on a rampage, hurling stones at administrative officials and resorting to arson.
The incident took place when a Sub-Inspector brought a criminal to the court for a hearing. The sub-inspector had an altercation with some of the lawyers present in the court.
This reportedly led to the officer's manhandling who was then alleged to have fired with his service weapon at Advocate Nabi Ahmad, from a close range. Another lawyer standing with him is reported to have sustained gunshot injuries on his foot.
Enraged after the incident, lawyers resorted to violence at Allahabad District Court, the High Court and at the office of Senior Superintendent of Police.
Angry lawyers blocked traffic and torched at least four government vehicles on the Allahabad-Kanpur highway. About 10 lawyers were injured when police resorted to lathi-charge in the court premises.
Lawyers in Lucknow also gathered outside the High Court in protest and burnt a poster of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Also, read: Tis Hazari violence: Audio tape of the injured cop reveals lawyers allegedly abused woman DCP
