Delhi Police vs Lawyers: Attack on DCP Monika Bhardwaj by lawyers caught on camera, NCW asks police to take action

The lumpen behaviour of the Delhi lawyers at the Tis Hazari court on 2nd November was caught on camera as scores of advocates can be seen charging against a pleading woman IPS officer and subsequently attacking her. A video depicting the assault on the woman IPS officer on November 2 when ugly clashes broke out between the police and the lawyers is now doing the rounds on social media. The officer has been identified as Monika Bhardwaj, the DCP of North Delhi.

https://twitter.com/TOIDelhi/status/1192610726973603840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
As can be seen in the video, while the vehicles are consumed by the fire in the background, a pleading woman IPS officer with her folded handed implores agitated mob of lawyers to back off. However, not heeding to her prayers, they violently charge towards her and other police officers and allegedly attack her by grabbing her by her collar. DCP Monika Bhardwaj finally manages to set herself free from the lawyers and her staff members accompany her to safety.

Read: Here is why Delhi policemen chanted ‘Humara CP kaisa ho? Kiran Bedi jaisa ho’ at the protests at Police headquarters

The National Commission of Women (NCW) has taken suo moto cognisance of the video, condemning the ‘attack’ against the IPS officer. The NCW chief Rekha Sharma has written a letter to Delhi Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik urging him to initiate an inquiry into the attack. Citing the video, the NCW chief Rekha Sharma expressed her concern at the incident.

Letter by NCW chief to Delhi Commissioner

The incident is from November 2 at around 4.20 pm when the DCP North Monika Bhardwaj and her team reached the spot to confront the lawyers who allegedly indulged in vandalism and arson at the court premises. The lawyers had not only purportedly set on fire vehicles but also allegedly locked up the additional DCP and his staff with 150 undertrials in the lock-up.

On November 2, the lawyers went on the rampage at the court premises and attacked the policeman by entering the police station after a fight broke out between lawyers and policemen near the premises of Tis Hazari court. A fight started over the issue of parking at Tis Hazari court flared into a battle between lawyers and policemen on Saturday afternoon, with lawyers reportedly taking law into their own hands and beating up policemen. In response, the policemen also unleashed violence against the lawyers injuring two of them.

OpIndia Staff: Staff reporter at OpIndia