Lawyers clash with the JNU students and journalists present at the hearing of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar’s case in Patiala House Court
In open defiance of the Supreme Court order, the group of lawyers which assaulted journalists on Monday, again attacked mediapersons and JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar when he was being produced at the Patiala House Court.
Reacting to the events, the apex court rushed a team of lawyers with police protection to assess the ground situation in the court, hours after it had issued a series of directions
to ensure peace in the court in the wake of Monday’s violence.
“We are concerned about the law and order situation,” a Supreme Court bench said when senior lawyer Indira Jaisingh informed the court about the fresh violence including the assault on Kumar when he was brought for remand proceedings.
Chanting slogans like “Vande Mataram” and waving the tri-colour, the lawyers including Vikram Chauhan and some others who who had allegedly attacked the journalists, teachers and students of JNU inside and outside the court two days back, today came in a march to the court complex.
They managed to enter the court complex despite heavy police presence and roughed up a few journalists, snatched their mobiles and deleted video footage. Police looked the other way, the journalists alleged.
The lawyers also manhandled photo-journalist Sameer Yasik, of the Firstpost news organisation, who was covering the protests.
Tariq Anwar of Firstpost was also heckled and manhandled and said that he can identify those lawyers who took the law in their own hands.
JUST IN | When I took photo of the scuffle, lawyers started beating me up, can identify him: #TariqAnwar, @firstpost pic.twitter.com/1N723rp8u0
— News World India (@NewsWorldIN) February 17, 2016
Another journalist, identified as Anwar of news channel CNN IBN, said despite heavy police deployment, clashes erupted in the court complex and the cops’ presence did not deter the lawyers from shouting slogans and fighting with journalists and students.
The Supreme Court had, earlier in the day, restricted the number of people inside the courtroom, allowing only five reporters and two supporters of the arrested students to attend the hearing.
The apex court had acted on a petition that alleged that the police were a “mute spectator to the brazen display of brute force” on February 15.
A group of lawyers on Wednesday disrupted proceedings in the Supreme Court with slogans during the hearing of a petition on violence outside Delhi’s Patiala House Court two days ago.
Soon after the fresh assault, lawyers made a mention of the incidents before a Supreme Court bench which asked the counsel of Delhi Police to find out the situation at Patiala House Court and get back to it in ten minutes.
The court also also said it may appoint local commissioner to take stock of the situation.
The apex court asks counsel to tell Delhi Police Commissioner to take action against those indulging in violence irrespective of their profession.
The court was also informed by senior advocate Indira Jaising that Kanhaiya has been attacked in the court premises when he was brought for remand proceedings.
(With agencies input)