New Delhi: Nearly 38km from Rajiv Chowk, Delhi High Court advocate Gaurav Jain, found himself at a community centre in Pandwala Khurd, a village he had never heard of, while responding to an SOS by protesters detained Sunday. They alleged minors had been detained alongside other protesters.
He said he then called 112 for the police control room van and also contacted the Principal Magistrate of Juvenile Justice Board-7, asking her to seek a status report from the SHO on the detained minors. The protesters were then put on another police bus that was divided into 7-8 compartments using iron rods. They came around 8pm and were allowed to leave around 9.30 pm,” a senior police officer said.
Arjun, a protester who was detained, said in a video message after being released that he was protesting at Connaught Place around 3pm Sunday.
He said he saw cops dragging a couple simply crossing the road, with no female officers nearby. They then called women constables,” he said. “There was no space to run as they kept beating us,” he added, recounting that the bus reached Chhawla police station around 6.53pm. Police, however, said that claims of violence at Pandwala Khurd were completely baseless and false. It said that no protester was beaten up or physically assaulted by personnel at the site.
Jain reached around 8pm with other lawyers. He alleged he was stopped by cops at the gate and was not allowed to meet detainees for several minutes. “The police jumped on us and detained us when we tried to help. Arjun alleged four minors were among the detainees. Despite assurances that cooperation would ensure proper treatment, he alleged, they were beaten during the journey. From there, the protesters were taken to the community centre in Pandwala Khurd, where their details, including those of the minors, were recorded. “Officers had made arrangements to ensure that those detained or present at the location were provided with basic assistance and did not face unnecessary hardship. Jain, however, was caught on video pleading with the CRPF personnel guarding the gate: “ IO sahab, hume andar aane dijiye. Humare bulane pe hi police aayi hai .”