by FP Staff 48 mins ago 24 Dec. 2012
8. 20 am: It’s the morning after the police crackdown on the anti-rape protesters at India Gate. The government has apologised for it, but says that it cannot allow protests at India Gate. Adamant protesters, however, have said that they will be back. Read more on that here.
As a precautionary measure, nine metro stations around India Gate, namely Pragati Maidan, Mandi House, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan, Khan Market, Race Course, Rajiv Chowk and Barakhamba will be shut today.
Curfew has also been imposed at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi.
What happened on Sunday: The protests, largely by students, saw hooligan elements mingled in the crowd uproot wooden poles erected for the 26 January Republic Day event and set them afire at five places. For all the photos click here.
They upturned vehicles, smashed window panes of buses and other vehicles and also hurled stones and water bottles on policemen in response to tear gas and baton attacks to prevent protesters from marching towards Raisina Hill, where prohibitory orders were put in place.
Special Commissioner of Police Dharmendra Kumar urged all protesters to head home as security forces cleared street after street once darkness set in. “The movement has been taken over by hooligans,” he said. “We want people to go home so that we can isolate the hooligans.”
Although a large number dispersed from the area, which includes the stately Hyderabad House which Russian President Vladimir Putin would visit Monday, a few hundred remained rooted near India Gate, a World War I monument flanked by lush green lawns.
A police constable was seriously injured in the stoning. Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said it was “unfortunate” that police had to use force against the protesters but the situation warranted the action. As many as 143 people, including 78 police personnel, were injured at India Gate.
The 23-year-old victim was Sunday put back on the ventilator and her condition remains critical, though she is conscious and communicating, doctors said. Her platelet condition has dipped further – an indication of infection, the doctors said.
End of Sunday’s updates.
11:30 pm: Girl’s father appeals for prayers for his daughter
The father of the 23-year-old girl who is battling for her life has asked everyone to pray for her health and has said he wants the rapists to get the death penalty.
“My daughter is a fighter, she will survive. She’s much better but not out of danger yet……Please keep praying for my daughter,” he told CNN-IBN.
He said he wanted not only his daughter’s rapists for all those guilty of the crime to receive the same punishment.
“I want my daughter’s rapists to get the death penalty..Every rapist should be sentenced to death, I will never be satisfied otherwise,” he said.
He also appealed to those protesting for justice for his daughter to keep their agitation non-violent and sought calm. While thanking the protesters for their support, he said,”Please continue supporting us but remain non-violent,” he said.
He said he wanted his daughter to become a doctor and said that the police had done an excellent job so far.
The father of the girl took the opportunity to publicly thank his daughter’s male friend, who was accompanying her when the incident took place, for attempting to defend her.
10:40 pm: Student union activists to blame for violence during protests?
There are accusations swirling thick and fast that members of student unions were responsible for sparking the violence in Delhi which led to the police action that has met with widespread condemnation.
Here’s a first person account of the protest on Kafila.
10:30 pm: Putin’s coming, please behave, says Shinde
Since other assurances havent seemed to work, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde seems to be attempting the “what will they think of us” approach to get protesters to go home.
“Russian President Putin is coming tomorrow, we don’t want to give a bad impression of India to them,” Shinde said.
He promised that a group of eminent jurists would look into getting an amendment in the laws dealing with rape in the country to provide speedy trials and justice in the future, he said.
“Government is very serious about this, please maintain peace,” he said.
10: 00 pm: After stinging criticism over lack of response, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tweets
He’s been under fire over his seeming detachment over the issue but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has chosen to respond to his detractors over the same medium that they chose to attack him: Twitter.
“We are all joined in our concern for the young woman who was the victim of a heinous crime in Delhi. There is genuine and justified anger and anguish at this ghastly incident. We are constantly monitoring her medical condition,” the Prime Minsiter’s Office tweeted from its official handle.
“Let us all pray for her and her loved ones during this critical time,” his office tweeted.
“I feel deeply sad at the turn of events leading to clashes between protesters and police forces. I appeal to all concerned citizens to maintain peace and calm. I assure you that we will make all possible efforts to ensure security and safety to all women in this country,” he said.
I seek the cooperation of all sections of the society to help us in this endeavour and maintain peace, the Prime Minister said.
Will this ease the tensions between the government and protesters? Seems rather unlikely given today’s turn of events.
9:30 pm: Delhi police commissioner rules out resigning
Many have sought it but Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar says he’s going nowhere.
“I respect the Chief Minister’s opinion,” Kumar said, referring to the Chief Minister’s critical review of the police today, adding that he didn’t believe in quitting.
“I will continue to see that this particular investigation is taken to its logical conclusion,” he told CNN IBN.
He said that the incident where the police had to take action against the protesters was “unfortunate” and he believed that the protest had been hijacked by some “lumpen elements”.
Kumar said that 65 police personnel had been injured in the clashes with protesters today and one of them, a constable, is fighting for his life.
“Constable Subhash Tomar in on the ventilator and was brought dead to the hospital but doctors revived him,” the commissioner said, adding that the constable was still on life support.
“We exercised patience throughout since yesterday and the time came today for force to be used,” he said.
He said that protesters were welcome to go to Jantar Mantar and Ram Leela maidan area if they wanted to hold protests since prohibitory orders were still in force around India Gate.
The commissioner said that they would not allow protesters to march to Rashtrapati Bhavan again.
He also said the safety of women was always a responsibility for the Delhi police and it would continue to be.
8:30 pm: Protestors still at India Gate, Sheila Dikshit appeals for calm
While many protesters have chosen to leave India Gate and head home after being baton charged and drenched by water cannons in the cold winter of Delhi, many protesters continue to occupy the spot seeking justice for the victim of the gangrape. Demands range from death penalty for rapists, chemical castration for those guilty in this case and safety for women across the nation. Whatever their individual demands, a large group of women continue to sit in solidarity at the monument braving the cold.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has appealed for calm after meeting with the state cabinet and with the Home Minister.
“People must bring in calm and peace before some worthwhile step can be taken,” she told reporters after her meeting with Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde.
The government will take steps to make people feel safe in the city including undertaking steps like increasing patrolling, making police more visible across the city and larger deployment, the Chief Minister said.
Security for VIPs won’t be an excuse not to provide sufficient security for the common woman, she said.
“We need to sensitize and make the police accountable. However senior the police officer, sense of responsibility needs to be inculcated,” Dikshit said.
There should be fast track courts and there should be a provision under the law for punishing rape where those guilty can face the death penalty or life imprisonment, she said.
Given the Delhi government doesn’t handle security in the capital, Dikshit was prompt in demanding a judicial inquiry into the action taken against protesters today and said it should involve the Lieutenant General of Delhi and Home Minister so that the faith of people in the establishment is restored.
Oh and she has appealed to other people not to politicise the issue so that the impact of the protest isn’t reduced.
8:10 pm: Victim has undergone one more surgery, still in critical condition
The 23-year-old woman, who has been fighting for her life ever since the horrific rape and assault a week ago, had to undergo one more surgery today and is still in critical condition.
She has been put back on the ventilator and the risk of infection due to the multiple injuries continues to be a cause of concern for doctors.
7:45 pm: Constable injured in protests still critical
The protests have reportedly claimed their first victim. Headlines Today’s Shiv Aroor says that constable Subhash Tomar of the Delhi Police has died of head injuries at the RML Hospital ICU. He was among the many policemen who was attacked when the protests today.
Update: CNN IBN’s Rajdeep Sardesai has just confirmed that the condition of the constable is still critical.
6.49pm: While a medical bulletin is expected on the condition of the girl admitted at Delhi’s Sardarjung Hospital, the protesters at India Gate are still trying to find out who ordered the final and brutal baton charge on them. The last wave was so aggressive that men and women, old and young, and even the media was not spared. Whether this wave came because a section of the protesters were resorting to destruction of public property is not yet known. While the police may have been successful in evicting the protesters, their violent approach will certainly raise few questions.
NDTV
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@ndtv
Delhi protests turn violent: One Additional Commissioner of Police, an Assistant Commissioner and several constables severely injured
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
6.36pm: It is difficult to say if the media was the target or not. But the fact is many media personnel were also injured including women journalists in the latest wave of baton charge and use of water cannon.
6.32pm: Delhi sets up fast track court for rape cases. Court to start functioning from 2 January.
5.49pm: At least, in this latest wave of baton charge, police is not making any gender bias. They are showering cane hits on men and women equally injuring many.
Delhi Traffic Police@dtptraffic
All road leading to C Hexagon India gate are closed, kindly avoid this route.
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
5.23pm: Strong and decisive action by the police. with protesters being baton charged metres away from the war memorial structure.
NDTV
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@ndtv
Protests turn violent: Barricades being broken and set afire; tin sheets used for 26 January being ripped apart by vandals#DelhiGangRape
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
5.07pm: “Public protest hijacked by hooligans. They are leading people to lawlessness. They should allow us to tackle the case rather than engage us in this law and order problem. All demands of the public have been met. Public property has been destroyed. We are ready to take a delegation of protesting groups to the Union home minister. Baba Ramdev has just sent a delegation.”
—Delhi Police official at a press conference.
The official said that over 100 tear gas shells were lobbed today so far.
NDTV
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@ndtv
Protests turn violent: Barricades being broken and set afire; tin sheets used for 26 January being ripped apart by vandals#DelhiGangRape
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
4.30pm: This protest is slowly turning going out of control. Some protesters have burnt items that the defence ministry assembled in preparation of the Republic Day ahead. Police won’t be a silent spectator of this destruction of public property.
ABP News@abpnewstv
Please do not resort to violence. That is not the solution. It is our country. We will definitely find a solution: Sushma Swaraj
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
Mahafreed@Mahafreed_DNA
Live from Azad Maidan. #delhigangrape protests will soon begin here. #mumbai pic.twitter.com/vherEg3t
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
4.20pm: Even as the police and protesters clash on the streets of New Delhi, the condition of the 23-year-old victim of the heinous rape has turned little critical with her developing respiratory problems, a NDTV report said. The girl apparently vomited twice—last night and today morning—in an indication of her worsening health, the report added.
Anurag Thakur@ianuragthakur
The youth is on the streets not under any flag or whip of a political party, who do they go to when the system fails them? #DelhiGangRape
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
4.04pm: Delhi Police reportedly takes Baba Ramdev into custody at Jantar Mantar. Baba descended from Dehradun but may not be allowed to be a part of the India Gate drama by the police.
ABP News@abpnewstv
Delhi Police removes supporters of Baba Ramdev from Jantar Mantar
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
3.51pm: Baba Ramdev and former army chief General (Retd.) VK Singh leading protest at Jantar Mantar. Ramdev’s followers were prevented by Delhi Police from moving towards India Gate. This turns Ramdev’s followers violent and they are surging against the police barricade. Ramdev has a role to play in inciting this violence as he appealed them to march towards India Gate.
3.44pm: Complete mayhem on Rajpath. It is a war zone. Difficult to say who is winning or losing. Without a helmet on the head, it is definitely a bad idea to venture out to that place.
Rajdeep Sardesai
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@sardesairajdeep
My daughter and I felt safe at india gate yday. Not so today. Don't meet police action with hooliganism.
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
3.37pm: Fringe groups like Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena are spreading violence at India Gate by going for pitch battles against the police. Genuine protesters, who came to India Gate for peaceful protests, are appalled by this violence and lawlessness.
Suhasini Haidar
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@suhasinih
While protestors at receiving end at #IndiaGate, patients at receiving end at Safdarjung hospital,where protests are blocking emgcy entry
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
NDTV
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@ndtv
Gang-rape survivor ‘Amanat’ undergoing another surgery at Safdarjung Hospital #DelhiGangRape
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
3.32pm: Not very good news from the hospital. The victim has been taken to the operation theatre for minor surgery, reports NDTV. Details are awaited.
3.22pm: Our photographer Naresh Sharma who is at India Gate covering the protests is having a tough time due to heavy tear gas shelling.
“The CRPF, RPF and Delhi Police are all using tear gas shells from both ends (India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan) to disperse the crowd,” Sharma told over phone from New Delhi.
“I could hardly open my eyes and somehow entered my car,” he said, adding, “My car is parked near one of the parks at India Gate.”
“The police has successfully scattered the protesters but there is fear of regrouping,” Sharma said.
3.13pm: With the focus on police brutality, is the original cause of fighting for women’s security and seeking quick justice for the victim lost?
3.11pm: One protester injured by tear gas shell, reports Times Now. Incidents of stone-pelting has also been reported.
3.07pm: Baba Ramdev protesting at Jantar Mantar accompanied by many of his followers.
3.04pm: Times Now has reported close to 30 rounds of tear gas shelling has been used to dislodge protesters from India Gate but with no effect. What is worrying that some anti-social elements have mingled with the crowd and are trying to instigate violence.
Kiran Bedi@thekiranbedi
New Youth is egalitarian and not power struck! They are demanding sensitivity from an authoritarian- mindset which is not seeing this change
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
Rahul Bose@RahulBose1
solutions #violenceagainstwomen 4. raise our boys to be gender sensitive e.g. expose them to art - FACT: it makes them more gender sensitive
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
1.49pm: Author Shiv Khera, who was also present at the India Gate, appeared visibly angry with the response of the government.
“This was not a rape. This was an outright sadistic pleasure,” Shiv Khera told CNN-IBN.
Slamming the political class he said that they do thing promptly only when it benefits them. Khera was also unconvinced by the talk of fast-tracking of the case.
“Where do we have fast-track judges with integrity?’ he asked.
Madhu Kishwar@madhukishwar
Even if HM doesn't have sense, why on earth can't Pranab Mukherjee invite protesters too Rashtrapati Bhavan, assure them of speedy action
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
1.36pm: “They need to be collectively addressed by the people who have the solutions… the chief minister, police commissioner and the lieutenant governor. They should take personal accountability and assure that justice will be done,” former police officer Kiran Bedi told CNN-IBN.
“They need to be heard. Women insecurity is a national problem and needs a plan to be tackled,” she said.
“Solutions is the call of the time, not suggestions,” Bedi said.
1.22pm The administration finally bowed down to public pressure and lifted Section 144 at India Gate, thus allowing protesters to peacefully assemble. However, protesters were confronted by water cannons and baton charge in front of the Rail Bhavan as they tried to break the police barricade.
parul malhotra@paarull
Ring road from pragati maidan to india gate jammed. Also, some Ppl say they hv marched from nizamuddin to india gate
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
1.05pm: Police losing patience with protesters at India Gate. Finally, tear gas shells are lobbed to evacuate the area. Protesters demanding that a government representative address them at India Gate and assures them of the steps taken or to be taken.
Kiran Bedi@thekiranbedi
Feeling good to c new-youth leadership getting baptised! This is need of the times!May prove worthwhile if they remain non partisan-strength
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
DNA@DNA
If you're in Mumbai, you can join the protests at Azad Maidan today at 4pm. #DelhiGangRape
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
Arvind Kejriwal@ArvindKejriwal7
This country belongs to us "WE, THE PEOPLE". Politicians better realize it.
23 दिसम्बर 12 जवाबरीट्वीटपसंदीदा
12.36pm: AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia along with protesters reach India Gate. Small scuffles reported at India Gate between police and protesters.
12.17pm: “We are here as individuals. We do not know each other,” one of the young women who met Congress president Sonia Gandhi told reporters outside 10 Janpath. “She assured us of stringent laws to tackle crime against women and quick implementation if the new steps.”
The motley group demanded severe punishment for the perpetrators while unwilling to reveal their names to the media.
“We have assured them that the government will approach the court to
fast-track the case and consider it as a rarest of rare incidents,” Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh told reporters.
“The student group wants a time-bound closure of the case and strict punishment for the culprits,” Singh said.
“The group discussed about security of women in New Delhi and also gave 12-13 suggestions. Their demand was that stringent punishment should not be limited to be rape alone and the victim should not be forced to give proof of rape. They want the onus on the accused,” he said.
However, the group appeared divided on capital punishment to rapists.
12.01pm: The rape victim admitted at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital has reportedly developed respiratory problems and has been put back on ventilator. Her health has deteriorated although she took a few steps on Saturday and started taking liquid food.
11.56am: Even as the Delhi Police struggled to get the media spotlight out of India Gate, the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar from ODIs could come as some respite.
11.28am: A meeting between representatives of protesters and Congress president Sonia Gandhi is on at 10 Janpath to decide on steps to secure women citizens of the country, particularly in New Delhi. Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi is also present besides Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh.
11.21am: “Police cannot stop all rapes. But this case was different. This was out in the open,” Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on IBN7.
11.11am: Police wants media out of India Gate. The strategy is to shift out the spotlight.
11.08am: Young protesters jeering police. There are reports that Baba Ramdev might descent on India Gate. CNN-IBN reports that protests have also been banned at Jantar-Mantar.
10.49am: Protesters allege that police personnel in plain clothes misbehaved with young women students while removing them from India Gate. The police has so far not been successful in clearing off India Gate. A cat-and-mouse game is going on with the students continuously regrouping.
10.17am: Windscreens of the bus brought in to ferry out protesters smashed. Police bringing in gypsies for easy manoeuvring. Paramilitary forces have also been deployed to assist Delhi Police. No tear gas shelling, baton charge and water cannons used so far.
10.16am: A protester reportedly deflates a tyre of the bus to prevent it from moving.
10.12am: ‘We want justice, we want justice’ rants in the air at India Gate.
10.10am: Dramatic visuals at India Gate. Young people blocking the bus from moving out of India Gate. They are either lying under the bus or climbing out of the vehicle. Complete chaos at India Gate.
10.02am: Police trying to forcibly remove protesters from India Gate. The police is taking away the protesters to other locations from India Gate. Times Now reported that Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal is expected to land at India Gate with party workers.
9.32am: An advisory has been issued by the Delhi Metro that besides Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Race Course, another three stations will remain close today. This includes the perennially busy Rajiv Chowk station.
9.30am: A temporary jail has been set up at Bawana in New Delhi, IBN7 reports quoting police sources.
9.27am Prohibitory orders not in place at Jantar Mantar, reports IBN7.
9.22am: Protesters were removed from India Gate and Vijay Chowk early in the morning, TV reports say. Traffic is also diverted from India Gate and Vijay Chowk.
9.13am: Heavy police presence at Vijay Chowk and India Gate.
9.05am: Cyclists pedal from Gurgaon to India Gate expressing solidarity with the victim and demand stringent laws against crime against women.
“We want to be safe outside home be it day or night,” a cyclist told CNN-IBN.
“I am ashamed as a human being. I wonder what their mothers think about those boys who did this crime. Boys should be educated in the school itself,” a senior citizen, who cycled all the way from Gurgaon in 6 degree Celsius, told CNN-IBN.
Be it the Raisina Hills or 10 Janpath, India’s power corridor got a taste of people’s power on Saturday with thousands of citizens, young and old, coming out voluntarily to protest the gang rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus.
The rage of the common citizens forced Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to issue a statement on the stringent measures to curb crime against women and even compelled Congress president Sonia Gandhi to meet protesters outside her residence.
War against rape. Naresh Sharma/Firstpost
Towards the evening, the protest turned violent with clashes reported between police and protesters. Finally, the police resorted to baton charge, water cannon and lobbying of tear gas shells to evacuate Vijay Chowk in the national capital.
Today, being Sunday more protesters are likely to assemble at public places. As per the weather update, it is foggy in New Delhi and the veil is likely to lift off by noon. However, the cops are taking no chances and all roads leading to Rashtrapati Bhavan are closed. Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code has been invoked to prevent any unlawful assembly in New Delhi district. People attempting to violate the prohibitory orders will be taken to detention centres, the police said.
Four Delhi Metro stations—Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Race Course—are also closed as a preventive measure. The police has advised the protesters to assemble at the Ramlila Ground for any protest.
http://www.firstpost.com/india/delhi-protests-live-curfew-imposed-at-vijay-chowk-protesters-vow-to-be-back-566586.html