A large number of lawyers staged a protest outside Karkardooma courts complex here on Thursday accusing the local police of manhandling their colleagues and demanding action against the guilty police officers.
Over half-a-dozen policemen were injured and two police vehicles damaged during the protest, the police said.
Heavy police were deployed at the court complex following the protest and the senior police officers were holding a dialogue with the representatives of the lawyers till late in the evening.
Trouble started around noon when a Municipal Corporation of Delhi demolition squad accompanied by the local police reached Inderpuri for action against illegal construction on a property belonging to lawyer Sujit Kumar. According to the police, the demolition squad along with the police staff returned to the Anand Vihar police station following protest by the inhabitants and soon Mr. Sujit also followed them to the police station along with half-a-dozen lawyer friends.
“Mr. Sujit and his lawyer friends manhandled the MCD chief engineer Nishan Singh and the police staff inside the police station. When the police staff tried to pacify them, they tore the official papers. At this, constable Manoj hit two of the lawyers, Vinod Bhardwaj and Vikas Mahan, with a baton. It further agitated the lawyers and soon more people gathered at the police station,” said a senior police officer.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Prabhakar and the Station House Officer (Anand Vihar) A.S. Rawat were at an inter-state co-ordination meeting at the time of incident.
Mr. Rawat on his return tired to pacify the lawyers, but was manhandled, the police said.
The lawyers then marched towards the Karkardooma courts complex and were joined by a large number of their colleagues
According to the police, the agitated lawyers resorted to violence and damaged two police vehicles and beat up two Station House Officers, one Sub-Inspector and five lower subordinate officers. “The lawyers also smashed the window glasses at the court complex and damaged the closed-circuit television control room and LCD screens.”
