In response to a growing demand for action against police misconduct, advocates gathered once again at the old High Court premises in Vibhutikhand on Tuesday morning. The situation prompted DCP West Durgesh Kumar and ADCP Vishwajeet Srivastava to make their way to the site in an attempt to pacify the association. In anticipation of the protest, police had already barricaded the routes leading to the courthouse.
The agitation stems from an incident on Monday afternoon when hundreds of advocates detained vehicles transporting 300 detainees for court appearances, demanding action against the police. The advocates, who had gathered in significant numbers, accused Vibhutikhand police personnel of beating advocates held hostage in the My Bar at the Summit Building.
The advocates have called for the suspension of the police personnel involved, alleging that the beatings resulted in broken hands and noses among their colleagues. The escalation of the situation saw police forces from Wazirganj, Kaiserbagh, Aminabad, and Hazratganj rushing to the scene. Senior police officials attempted to negotiate with the advocates, urging them to release the detained vehicles, but the advocates refused to comply without action being taken against the offending police personnel.
According to Arvind Kushwaha, President of the Central Bar, the dispute began on Saturday night when some advocates were dining at the Summit Building and got into an altercation with another group. The responding police officers from Vibhutikhand station allegedly started abusing the advocates, leading to further conflict and the subsequent detention and beating of the advocates with batons.
Despite informing the Vibhutikhand station and the Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), no action was taken against the accused police personnel. The situation was eventually defused around 7:45 PM when the advocates agreed to release the detained vehicles, which were then escorted to the district jail under police protection.
Also Read
The Central Bar President has warned of a strike on Tuesday if the police personnel are not suspended. A meeting in the morning will decide the future course of action. Meanwhile, ACP Vibhutikhand Anidya Vikram Singh stated that the altercation involved some people from the bar and that the police had taken action for disturbing the peace. ADCP West clarified that the advocates had been calmed down and a memorandum had been submitted.
The advocates have presented a four-point demand to the police officers, calling for the registration of a case and suspension of the guilty police personnel. They have also demanded an end to the police’s campaign against advocates, which they claim is tarnishing their image. Furthermore, they have called for the dismissal of a false case against advocate Ankit Dubey in Gosaiganj and criticized the court’s practice of dismissing cases filed under Section 156(3) without justification.
