Kiran Bedi gets emotional over protests by Delhi Police
Hours after Delhi Police personnel protesting outside the Police Headquarters remembered one of their most beloved officers with loud chants of "Kiran Bedi lao, Delhi Police bachao", the Puducherry Lt. Governor took to Twitter to share her memories and emotions of an era gone by when the national capital had seen similar scenes of protesting as they vented anger over their colleagues being thrashed by lawyers.
As the junior officials drowned out seniors trying to placate them on Tuesday in an unprecedented moment of difference within the force, the protesters took out placards of the former IPS officer and wanted her back.
On Wednesday, Bedi, who has a new role said: "Leadership is a 'Character' that takes responsibility and takes tough decisions. It is a 'life' of 'doing'...Tough times go, Memories of Tough Acts Remain." The senior IPS officer, could never become the Delhi Police Commissioner during her tenure as she was not an IPS "lobby favourite".
"Rights and Responsibilities are two sides of the same coin. We as citizens must never forget this. Whoever and wherever we be. We need a major shift in our emphasis in this regard. When we all excercise our responsibility of being law abiding there is no conflict."
Earlier on Tuesday, Kiran Bedi had advised Delhi Police to remain firm on its stand on Saturday's police-lawyers clash at Tis Hazari court come what may.
Reacting to the incident, she had said that she faced a similar situation in January 1988 when a lawyer arrested for theft in St. Stephen's college was brought to the Tis Hazari court in handcuffs.
"But I remained firm and refused to budge to the demand of the lawyers seeking suspension/arrest of the cops responsible for handcuffing the advocate," she said, adding that the person did not identify himself as an advocate at the time of his arrest and also gave a different name to the police.
In the present incident too, the "Delhi Police should take a stand and be firm on it come what may", she said.
Bedi, a former IPS officer of 1972 batch who retired in the rank of DGP, said during the 1988 police-lawyers clashes at Tis Hazari, wherein she was DCP (North) then, there were demands from the advocates' associations for her suspension and arrest. But the then police commissioner Ved Marwah strongly supported her and rejected the demands, she said.
The reason for the police personnel remembering Bedi, the first woman Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, is rooted in a February 17, 1988 incident at Tis Hazari Court complex, when Bedi backed the police force and had a face-off with lawyers, who were protesting the handcuffing of an advocate on suspicion of theft.
This was in complete contrast to the support that the officials received after the Saturday incident when lawyers on Monday thrashed policemen in the Saket court.
On Tuesday, Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik was booed by constables after he asked them to call off the agitation.
Kiran Bedi is also known as "Crane Bedi" for ordering the towing away of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's car from Delhi's Connaught Place area in 1982.
Hundreds of Delhi Police personnel on Tuesday gheraoed the Police Headquarters (PHQ) at ITO in Delhi to protest against repeated incidents of violence against them by lawyers.
A parking row between police personnel and lawyers on Saturday had escalated leading to violence and arson at the Tis Hazari Court complex.
At least 20 police personnel and several lawyers were injured and many vehicles were damaged in the incident. The lawyers alleged that the police fired at them.
The Delhi High Court on Sunday ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence by a team comprising a retired judge, Directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Intelligence Bureau and Vigilance.
(With agency inputs)
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