Delhi cops end 11-hr stir after Spl Commissioner’s assurance

The protests in which families of the personnel also took to streets were withdrawn in the nightafter an assurance by senior officers that their grievances will be addressed.

Addressing the protesters, Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Satish Golcha urged them to end their stir and resume duty, while assuring them that a review petition will be filed against the Delhi High Court order in connection with a clash between cops and lawyers at the Tis Hazari Courts Complex. Delhi Police has a strength of over 80,000 personnel. Golcha said the injured policemen will get an ex-gratia of at least Rs 25,000. As the protests escalated, the Centre was understood to be unhappy over the manner in which it was held in violation of service conduct even though, according to an official, it is sympathetic to their grievances.

The Bar Council of India asked various bar bodies to identify lawyers “indulging in hooliganism” and requested advocates to end their protests, which are “bringing bad name to the institution”. Recalling similar clashes between lawyers and policemen way back in 1988, many in the crowd recalled former IPS officer Kiran Bedi who was then at the heart of the controversy. Some were carrying a big poster of Kiran Bedi, chanting slogans like “Kiran Bedi sherni hamari” and “Our Commissioner should be like Kiran Bedi” .