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Residents protesting murder, cops clash; 4 officers hurt
The DCP said the police resorted to lathi charge and fired two tear gas shells to control the crowd.
Four policemen were injured and two police vehicles were damaged when hundreds of local residents clashed with the police in east Delhi’s Gandhinagar area on Thursday after a candle march demanding justice for a local woman who was murdered at her house on July 1.
Deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) R Sathiyasundaram said the situation was under control and the crowd had been dispersed. “No permission was sought for the candle march. The person who organised the demonstration instigated the crowd, most of them labourers,” he said.
The DCP said the police resorted to lathi charge and fired two tear gas shells to control the crowd.
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On Wednesday, a message was shared on local WhatsApp groups and other social media channels by a local organisation, Poorvanchal Nav Nirman Sangathan, calling people to gather for a peaceful candle march against the murder of a 22-year-old woman in Gandhinagar’s Raghubarpura area, and to demand justice for her. The march was scheduled to start at 6pm from near a gurdwara in Raghubarpura street number 2 and go up to Gandhinagar police station.
Hundreds of people joined the march on Thursday evening. However, the crowd turned violent when the demonstration reached near the police station.
Vishal Arora, who runs a sports showroom opposite the police station, said hundreds of people had gathered at the spot. “The protesters were trying to enter the police station, and cops were clearly outnumbered. However, suddenly some protesters attacked the policemen,” he said.
“The protesters started pelting stones at police and damaged police vans. I saw that a stone hit a policeman in the head and he was bleeding,” Arora said.
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In the videos of the incident which have surfaced on social media, members of a crowd can be seen running amok picking up stones from near an under-construction structure. In another video, the crowd can be seen vandalising a police car.
The DCP said that 17 people have been detained so far, and a case has been registered under relevant sections. He added that the police were looking for the organiser, identified as one Santosh Jha.
On July 1, a 22-year-old woman was stabbed to death with a pair of scissors allegedly by a neighbour in Raghubarpura. Police have arrested the accused.
