Amulya Patnaik’s tenure as Delhi Police Commissioner since January 2017 ends under a cloud as he demits office on Saturday. More than 40 persons have been killed in the north-east Delhi violence under his watch since Sunday.
June 2019 incident
It was in June 2019 that videos showing two police constables beating up a Sikh tempo driver in Mukherjee Nagar had gone viral, leading to angry protests. The policemen were suspended and then dismissed from service the next month.
Policemen and lawyers
Another crisis befell the force on November 2 last when a tiff over parking issue snowballed into a major clash between policemen and lawyers at the Tis Hazari court complex. Several persons from both sides were injured and vehicles damaged in the incident, leading to angry protests by lawyers.
Two days later, a policeman was assaulted at the Saket court complex. This triggered an unprecedented protest by a large number of policemen outside the Delhi Police Headquarters at ITO on November 5, 2019. The protesting men in khaki demanded action against those involved. Mr. Patnaik had to come out of his office to address the policemen and assuage their anger.
JNU fee hike
Just when things seemed to have gone back to normal, days later, the police were faced with protests by Jawaharlal Nehru University students over their demand for complete rollback of fee hikes. Alleging use of force by the police, the students held a protest at the Delhi Police Headquarters on November 20, 2019.
The Central government’s decision to bring in the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which was passed by both Houses of the Parliament on December 11 last year, initiated huge protests across the country.
On December 15, violence erupted during the anti-CAA and anti-NRC protests in south Delhi’s Jamia. Amid incidents of stone-pelting, the police resorted to tear-gas shelling and lathi-charge. Chasing the protesters, the security personnel entered Jamia Millia Islamia campus and allegedly beat up the students in its library.
The same day, a group comprising mainly women organised a sit-in in the Shaheen Bagh area. The protest continues to this day.
Amid anti-CAA protests, on January 5, the JNU campus was once again gripped by violence when about 50 masked men sneaked in and attacked the students and teachers, injuring about 40 persons. The police were accused of not taking any action against the assailants and allowing them to leave the campus after the incident.
Anti-CAA protests
While the anti-CAA protests were under way in Jamia, in the presence of security personnel, a juvenile opened fire injuring a student on January 30. The delinquent was then overpowered. Days later, another young man fired in the air close to the Shaheen Bagh protest side.
Mr. Patnaik, a 1985-batch Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT)-cadre IPS officer, succeeded Alok Kumar Verma to become the Police Commissioner. His two seniors, 1984-batch officers Deepak Mishra and Dharmender Kumar, were not considered for the post.
After his tenure ended in January, he was given a one-month extension in view of the State Assembly elections.
