Delhi Police personnel hold a protest after one of their colleagues was assaulted by lawyers
Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal -- the Centre's representative in Delhi -- today underscored the need for trust and harmony between the police and lawyers and "ensure that justice is done impartially". As the day-long protest by around 2000 policemen outside the police headquarters continued into the night, the Lieutenant Governor held a meeting with the senior officers.
At the meeting, the Lieutenant Governor advised senior officers to assure the police personnel that no injustice shall be allowed to be done to any member of the force, a communique from his office later said.
Advocates and police are important pillars of criminal justice system who should work in complete harmony. In the wake of the recent unfortunate incident, it is imperative to restore the trust between the two and also to ensure that justice is done impartially in the entire matter, it quoted him as saying.
The police in Delhi reports to the Union home ministry and as the Centre's representative, Mr Baijal is responsible.
The Union home ministry has also received a report on the protest, but there has been no comment on it so far.
The protesting policemen have been demanding justice over Saturday's clashes between policemen and lawyers at a Delhi court. More than 20 policemen were injured in the incident.
On Monday, a policeman on duty was slapped and beaten outside Saket District Court by a group of lawyers. Cellphone videos of the attack had been widely circulated.
The policemen say they now fear being targetted when they are in uniform and want a law that would protect them. A Police Protection Act is among the list of the 10 demands they have placed before the senior officers.
The Delhi government, which has been on a collision course with the Centre over the control of the Delhi Police, said the situation was "unfortunate".
"On one side, there are Police personnel who provide security to the common man and on other, are the lawyers that ensure justice to them. Conflict between them should have been avoided or handled well," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.