Clash at Tis Hazari Court: Lawyers tried to take revenge, set ablaze vehicles, say Delhi Police

After a major scuffle broke out between police and lawyers here in the Tis Hazari Court, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Harender Singh on Saturday said the lawyers tried to take revenge and set vehicles on fire in a bid to open the gate.

"The scuffle was only over parking, between jawans of 3rd Battalion and lawyers. Some other lawyers joined too. They wanted to get inside the lockup. They wanted to take revenge," said Singh at a press conference.

He said that after taking the cognisance of the situation, police intervened into the matter and did not allow the advocates to enter the court premises.

"We intervened and didn't allow lawyers to come inside. We closed the lock-up from inside so that not only jawans but also prisoners, scheduled to be presented before the court, are not exposed to risk. When lawyers could not get in, they wanted to break lockup by igniting a fire," he said.

Singh said that the lawyers set ablaze two-three bikes in a bid to open the gate in their explosion.

"The police doused the fire with the help of drinking water inside but the smoke from the fire caused suffocation inside. We made a human chain and shifted everyone to a different lockup," he said.

Singh said the police tried to save the lives of police personnel and prisoners by being inside the court premises.

Being asked about the bullet injuries sustained by a lawyer, he said: "If someone received bullet injuries it will come out in a medical report. We received injuries. I am proud that I sustained injuries and I saved my people."

Earlier in the day, a clash broke out between the Delhi Police personnel and lawyers in the Tis Hazari Court in which a lawyer sustained injuries and was immediately rushed to the St Stephen's Hospital for treatment.

Manan Kumar Mishra, the chairman of Bar Council of India (BCI), hit out at the Delhi Police for allegedly firing on the "innocent advocates" over some parking issue here at Tis Hazari Court.

Calling the firing a "brutal action" by the Delhi Police, Mishra told : "Just because of some parking issue, the police opened fire on the innocent advocates. BCI cannot tolerate this."

He said, therefore, the BCI has demanded the senior police officials and Delhi government to immediately "arrest the guilty cops and put them under suspension".

In the wake of the clash, the BCI has called for the lawyers' strike across district courts in the national capital on November 4.

Mahavir Sharma, chairman and Dhir Singh Kasana, Coordination Committee Secretary-General, Bar Council of Delhi, said that one lawyer was injured when the police personnel opened fire on a group of advocates. In the subsequent scuffle, several other advocates and a journalist were injured.

"We strongly condemn the unprovoked brutal attack on lawyers by police at Tis Hazari Court. One lawyer is critical. A young lawyer was beaten up in the lockup. This is high-handedness of the police. They should be dismissed and prosecuted. We stand by lawyers," said KC Mittal, chairman, Bar Council of Delhi.

( With inputs from ANI )