Some persons claiming to be members of the Bajrang Dal clashed with young men and women protesting against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru at Jantar Mantar here on Saturday.
The Bajrang Dal members had gathered at Jantar Mantar and were distributing sweets to celebrate the execution of Afzal when students from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia reached there to join the protest. Activists of the Peoples Union for Democratic Rights also joined to voice their protest against the hanging.
“Minutes after we reached there, they charged at us and threw mud at the protesters. They also smeared PUDR activist Gautam Navlakha with black colour. The role of the policemen deployed there is also questionable. They did not make any attempt to stop the Bajrang Dal activists from assaulting the protesters,” alleged a PUDR activist.
The police finally intervened and detained the protesters. “They misbehaved with young women, pushed them into police vehicles and took them in batches to the Parliament Street and Mandir Marg police stations. We got them released around 3 p.m. It is shocking that the police did not take any action against those who attacked us,” said another protester.
Human rights activist Vrinda Grover, who was at Jantar Mantar when the clash took place, said: “Senior police officers were also there, but they did not do anything.”
According to the police, 22 persons, including eight women, were detained and later released.
