Taking serious note of Friday's mayhem at the City Civil Court complex, the City police have said that stringent action would be taken against the guilty.
City Police Commissioner B.G. Jyothi Prakash Mirji, in his 12-minute briefing at a packed media conference, insisted the police were not under any political pressure.
He went on to say Home Minister R. Ashok had anticipated trouble. “He had instructed us to take pre-emptive measures and we had deputed additional security personnel. Unfortunately, the violence took place.” Categorically denying failure on the part of the police, he said the police had intervened in time by using their batons.
Seventeen police personnel including a DCP and an ACP, were injured in the violence, Mr. Mirji said. Two criminal cases were booked against unidentified lawyers in Ulsoor Gate police station in connection with the violence that broke out after lawyers staged a road blockade near Mysore Bank Circle on January 17 though no arrests have been made, he said.
