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Parivartan Chowk area turns into war zone as mob fires shots, hurls bricks
As the police remained engaged at the KD Singh Babu Stadium Metro station to stop protesters moving towards Parivartan Chowk on Thursday afternoon, a mob reached
As the police remained engaged at the KD Singh Babu Stadium Metro station to stop protesters moving towards Parivartan Chowk on Thursday afternoon, a mob reached the Begum Hazrat Mahal Park, about 500 metres away, around 3pm by taking the River Bank colony and the old high court route.
When the mob took positions inside the park, police from the KD Singh Babu Stadium Metro station rushed to the Begum Hazrat Mahal Park to try and control the situation.
“The mob outnumbered police. It was heavily armed with country made guns and bricks. They fired on the police and hurled bricks,” said SK Bhagat, IG, Lucknow range, who was on the spot.
Taken by surprise, police personnel had to beat a hasty retreat to save themselves from a barrage of bricks. Emboldened by the police retreat, the mob set on fire several outdoor broadcasting vans of news channels and two-wheelers of scribes.
Police tried to restrain agitators by charging towards them, but vain.
With no option left, inspector general of police, Lucknow range, SK Bhagat, ordered the police to use tear gas shells to disperse mob.
But police were unable to lob tear gas shells inside the park as a barrage of bricks prevented them from moving close to the park. A row of several trees at the park boundary also prevented tear gas shells from reaching the mob.
The police then allegedly started throwing the same bricks at the mob which the protesters had hurled at them.
The entire Begum Hazrat Mahal Park and its adjoining areas turned into a war zone. In this standoff, cops had to beat a hasty retreat several times to protect themselves from bricks hurled by protesters.
A fire tender reached the spot to douse burning OB vans and other vehicles. However, it remained at a safe distance from the mob.
In the meantime, some police personnel managed to enter the park from behind, taking the Clarks Hotel route.
It was then that the mob ran away from the park after having fought a pitched battle with the police for two hours.
After the mob fled, a fire tender moved closer to the burning vehicles and doused the flames.
Several policemen were injured in the violence and cameras of lensmen were also damaged.
Director general of police OP Singh also reached the spot, but by then police had brought the situation under control.
District magistrate Abhishek Prakash and additional director general of police, law order, SN Sabat, also reached the spot along with a quick reaction team of the UP Police.
Sanitation workers of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation removed all bricks lying on the road later.
Late in the evening, normal traffic movement was restored at Parivartan Chowk.
A RESIDENT’S CONCERN
A very aggressive crowd passed through the River Bank Colony, B- Block, on way to the Parivartan Chowk.
They used narrow by-lanes at the back of the Residency, which leads towards Balrampur Hospital, to reach Parivartan Chowk.
These narrow lanes could have been easily blocked by parking police vehicles across it, said a resident of River Bank Colony.
