A minor parking brawl turned into a major flashpoint between lawyers and Delhi cops at Tis Hazari Court
The clash between lawyers and Delhi Police at Tis Hazari Court in New Delhi hit national headlined on Saturday. A lawyer was hit by a bullet while police vehicles were torched. At least 20 people were injured. Claims were made from both sides accusing the other of instigating violence. Both sides claimed that they did not start the scuffle. A small quarrel over parking space escalated into a full-blown free-for-all. India TV has accessed CCTV footage of what happened at the Tis Hazari Court on Saturday (November 2).
The incident started when a lawyer parked his vehicle in front of the lock-up at Tis Hazari Court. Police personnel of Delhi Police's 3rd battalion objected to this. The third battalion escorts accused and convicted to and from Tis Hazari Court.
An altercation started between the lawyer concerned and police personnel. The quarrel soon descended to verbal abuse. This soon gave way to a physical fight. It is not yet clear who threw the first punch but lawyers were angered as one of their colleagues was hit by a bullet. The angry mob of lawyers went on a rampage and set police vehicles (a gypsey and a bike) on fire. The lawyers vandalised police buses, broke mobile phones carried by a few media persons, some of them were even assaulted by the lawyers. Those assaulted include Additional DCP Harendra Singh. There were attempts by the lawyers to save their image as they shared limited videos on Facebook. But CCTV videos with India TV tell us the full story.
One of the videos shows a policeman lying on the floor in an injured state inside the lock-up area. The lawyers attempt to enter the lock-up but the police close the gate. One of the lawyers succeeds in entering the lock-up but is cornered by the policemen. He receives a few blows from the police.
Watch the video here.
It was observed that only one part of the video was made viral. The part shows the lawyer getting beaten by the police.
India TV has got another video which shows a large number of lawyers entering the lock-up area and overpowering the policemen. Here, the lawyers can be seen assaulting almost every policeman whom they could corner.
Watch the video below
Police vehicles were torched during the entire incident. The lawyers claimed that 'anti-social elements' were behind the burning of the vehicles. But the video below shows images contrary to the claim. The video clearly shows a group of lawyers (including a woman lawyer) trying to set fire to a bike near the closed lock-up gate. The intention appears to be to blast the gate open.
When the entire incident started, a lawyer was injured due to a bullet fired by the police. There were allegations from the lawyers' side that the bullet was fired at a point-blank range.
If a bullet is fired at point-blank range, chances of a person surviving are slim. It has come to light that the police had shot rounds in the air to deter the lawyers. One of the bullets ricocheted and hit a lawyer in the shoulder.
The Delhi High court has taken Suo Moto cognisance of the horrific scuffle at Tis Hazari Court and ordered a judicial inquiry. The inquiry will be carried out by a former judge of the High Court. Delhi High Court has mandated that the inquiry be completed in 6 weeks.
Also Read | Tis Hazari Court Clash: Lawyers of Allahabad HC abstain from work
