New Delhi: A special commissioner of police was among three police officers injured after a section of protesters allegedly pelted stones at security personnel at Jantar Mantar shortly after the announcement of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation Saturday, police sources said.
The incident prompted security forces to lob tear gas and resort to a mild lathicharge to bring the situation under control, sources added.
The violence erupted when a section of the gathering allegedly turned aggressive as senior police officers were overseeing crowd management at the protest site, the sources said.
According to the police source, the special commissioner of police, along with other senior and field officers, was at the forefront of efforts to regulate the crowd and prevent any breach of security arrangements.
As officers moved closer to the protesters to maintain order, some demonstrators raised slogans while another group allegedly began pelting stones without any provocation, said the source.
The special commissioner sustained injury during the stone-pelting and was immediately evacuated by police teams to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Two other police officers also suffered injuries in the incident and were shifted to the hospital. Their condition is stated to be stable, he added.
The stone-pelting triggered brief chaos at the protest site, following which security personnel fired tear gas and carried out a mild lathicharge to disperse the violent section of the crowd and prevent further escalation.
Police personnel quickly secured the area and pushed the protesters back, restoring order within a short span of time, the source said.
“The situation is completely under control now. Adequate police force remains deployed in and around Jantar Mantar to maintain law and order,” he added.
The source said senior officers continued to monitor the situation on the ground even after the clashes ended, while additional reinforcements were deployed at strategic locations as a precautionary measure.
Police have launched an investigation into the stone-pelting incident and are examining available evidence, including video footage from the spot, to identify those responsible for attacking police personnel.
So far, Delhi Police have registered 15 FIRs in different police stations in the New Delhi district. Heavy security arrangements have been made to maintain law and order.
According to the police, over 200 police personnel have sustained injuries so far. Police said during the ongoing protest, over 65 protesters have sustained injuries, and added that legal action is being taken.
