Delhi Police personnel were reported protesting in the national capital on Monday following a fresh dispute with lawyers, reviving memories of the force’s unprecedented demonstration after the 2019 Tis Hazari Court clash. The current report does not provide details of the latest dispute beyond stating that tensions between police personnel and lawyers have risen again.
The earlier confrontation began on November 2, 2019, when a disagreement between a police officer and a lawyer over parking near a prison van at the Tis Hazari Court complex escalated into a violent clash. Several vehicles parked inside the court premises, most of them police vehicles, were vandalised and set on fire. Police fired shots into the air while attempting to control the situation and protect prisoners, and a lawyer was injured by a bullet, according to the report.
More than 20 police personnel and lawyers were injured in the violence. Those injured included then Deputy Commissioner of Police Monica Bhardwaj, an additional deputy commissioner and two station house officers.
The confrontation was followed by incidents outside Saket and Karkardooma court complexes on November 3 and 4, 2019. The report said lawyers attacked police and PCR personnel at those locations, increasing resentment among members of the force.
The unrest culminated in a large protest outside the then police headquarters at ITO on November 5, 2019. Thousands of police personnel, in uniform and civilian clothes, gathered outside the headquarters and continued their demonstration for around 11 hours. They raised demands concerning their rights and safety and protested against the police leadership, including then Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik.
That demonstration was described as an exceptional event in Delhi Police history because personnel at the lower levels of the force and their family members surrounded the headquarters and publicly voiced their grievances. The protest also placed pressure on the police commissioner and the Union Home Ministry.
The latest demonstration has again brought the relationship between the police and the legal community into focus. Court complexes are shared institutional spaces where police personnel, lawyers, litigants, prisoners and court staff interact under high-pressure conditions. The 2019 episode showed how a local dispute in such a setting could quickly affect policing operations, court security and public confidence.
The report does not establish whether the present dispute has resulted in injuries, property damage, arrests, work disruption or formal disciplinary action. It also does not specify the current protesters’ full list of demands. Further official details from the Delhi Police, the legal community and the relevant authorities will be required to establish the scale and consequences of the latest protest.
