Women bodies issue notices on lawyers heckling DCP Bhardwaj

The National Commission for Women (NCW) and Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Friday took suo motu cognisance of a video which showed the deputy commissioner of

The National Commission for Women (NCW) and Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Friday took suo motu cognisance of a video which showed the deputy commissioner of police (north), Monika Bhardwaj, can be seen being heckled and attacked by a mob of lawyers at Tis Hazari court. In separate notices, the two bodies have condemned the incident and demanded an investigation into the matter.

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Two videos were shared widely on social media on Thursday and Friday showing the DCP being heckled and chased at the Tis Hazari complex. The police officer could be seen requesting a group of lawyers not to indulge in violence. Other videos show some cops shieling the woman officer and trying to save her from the mob.

NCW chairperson, Rekha Sharma, on Friday wrote a letter each to the Delhi Police commissioner, Amulya Patnaik, and to the chairman of Bar Council of India, Manan Kumar Mishra.

In the letter to Mishra, NCW said it “recommends that such actions should be treated as gross misconduct and license issued to such lawyers must be cancelled, if proved guilty(sic).”

The letter NCW addressed to Patnaik, read, “NCW recommended that investigation in the FIR registered in the matter may be taken independently in view of the manhandling and assaulting with a woman police officer(sic).”

“I, therefore, request you to take immediate steps to inquire into the matter for appropriate action at the earliest. The action taken in the matter may be communicated to the commission within seven days,” the letters read.

In the letter written by the DCW to the joint commissioner of police (central range), the commission sought information on the reason behind not registering an FIR in the incident and if filed already, sought for a copy of the FIR.

The commission also asked information about any suspects who were identified or arrested and also sought the action-taken report in the matter.

The letter also said the “serious and unfortunate incident raises a question mark on the law and order situation in the national capital as even a senior women police officer is not safe.”

Retired IPS officer Kanwaljit Deol, who retired as director-general at National Human Rights Commission(NHRC) said, “I don’t think that what the lawyers did is forgivable. That is something against the law...In this situation, all the offences that have been committed need to be investigated, and the lawyers need to be charge-sheeted and the courts need to take actions on it.”