Concerned over the clash between Delhi police personnel and lawyers at the Tis Hazari Courts, an association of retired police officers on Thursday wrote to Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal and Commissioner of Police Amulya Patnaik, terming the incident “demoralising” and urged them not to take any “coercive” action till the completion of the judicial inquiry.
The Delhi Police Retired Gazetted Officers Association (DPRGOA) said the police top brass should “adequately assure” the personnel of their complete support.
“Senior officers of the organisation may boost the morale of the force by extending their complete support and adequately assuring them that the rule of law will prevail,” DPRGOA president Karnal Singh said in a statement.
Mr. Singh is a retired IPS officer who headed the Enforcement Directorate and had several stints in the Delhi Police. The letter comes two days after thousands of Delhi Police personnel laid siege to the Delhi Police Headquarters on Tuesday.
The police protest was launched over two alleged attacks on their colleagues by lawyers, first on November 2 (last Saturday) at the Tis Hazari Court Complex over a parking dispute, and the second on November 4 (Monday) outside the Saket Courts. At least 20 police personnel and several advocates were injured in the first clash.
Ordering a judicial inquiry into the November 2 incident by one of its retired judges, the Delhi High Court, at a special sitting on November 3, directed Commissioner Patnaik to transfer two senior officers — Special Commissioner Sanjay Singh and Additional DCP Harender Kumar Singh — during pendency of the investigation. An ASI was suspended and departmental action was initiated against a constable. The court also ordered that no coercive action be taken against any lawyer on the basis of FIRs lodged by police officers.
“The direction of no coercive action against lawyers requires to be amended to no coercive action against anyone till the completion of the [judicial] inquiry. The suspension and transfer of police officers should be challenged as no action has been ordered against erring lawyers,” the letter said.
‘Demoralising effect’
“Initially, no case was registered on these incidents against the erring lawyers and the whole episode had a demoralising effect on the police force throughout the country,” Mr. Singh said.
He also urged Mr. Baijal and Mr. Patnaik not to take departmental action against those officers who had gathered outside the police headquarters for “silent protest with their families to apprise the senior officers of their grievances”. “It needs sympathetic consideration,” Mr. Singh said.
The letter also requested for compensation and proper medical aid to be provided to the injured police officers. The Delhi Police and the L-G had on Tuesday assured compensation for the injured police personnel.
