Image source, Arun SANKAR / AFP via Getty Images
Politicians detained during the protests in Delhi on 10 and 11 October were served tea and coffee in police stations, while ordinary protesters were served "hot and fresh food" - these are the claims of Delhi Police in its affidavit filed in the Supreme Court.
Apart from this, the police has also said in the affidavit that the professional work of any lawyer or journalist was not hindered, and only those who broke legal restrictions were detained.
Delhi Police has also claimed in the Supreme Court that the protesters were released after a few hours.
Police claim that this action, taken on the basis of "intelligence", averted a "major law and order crisis" in Delhi.
Petitions were filed in the Supreme Court on Friday and Saturday against the heavy security arrangements in Delhi on October 10 and 11, internet shutdown, cancellation of trains and alleged illegal detention.
In response, Delhi Police, Union Home Secretary and Railways have defended their action by filing affidavits on Wednesday and Thursday.
What did the police say?
Many such claims have been made in the affidavit regarding the police action of October 10, which are completely different from the common belief.
The police have claimed in the affidavit that no one was put in jail or lock-up on October 10.
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According to the police, "Those who were removed (from the protest site) were kept in temporary centres. Delhi Police provided them with hot, fresh and good food and allowed them to leave within two to six hours."
Regarding the detained leaders, the police have written, "As far as political leaders are concerned, they were requested to sit in the rooms of the SHO. While completely maintaining the dignity of their post, they were provided tea, coffee, food and other refreshments."
On allegations of obstruction in the work of lawyers and journalists, the police said, "No professionals were stopped from doing their work."
"It is necessary to ensure that the dignified premises of this constitutional court cannot be allowed to be used as a protest venue and its sanctity has to be maintained at all costs," the affidavit sent by the Supreme Court in connection with the detention of the lawyers on Saturday said.
The police clarified that they took action under Section 163 of the Indian Civil Security Code (BNSS), which prohibits gathering of crowds.
Police claim that these orders were "not limited to Jantar Mantar only, but many police stations had issued such orders."
However, the names of these police stations are not there in the affidavit. The police described their action as "bonafide" and in accordance with the circumstances.
'Freelance journalists provoked, broke glass of buses'
Image source, K Raj/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
To justify this action on 10 and 11 October, the police have cited in detail the demonstrations that took place in the first week of October and July.
Police alleged that due to the Congress protest march between October 6 and 8, Central Delhi was completely 'choked' due to which people could not even catch their trains and flights.
It has been alleged in the affidavit that the crowd was very aggressive in these demonstrations.
In the words of the police, "Some people who came under the guise of 'freelance journalism' instigated the crowd. Some miscreants misbehaved with the women policemen."
Police claim that when the protesters were forced into buses, they "exceeded the limits of violence and punctured the tires of the buses and broke the glass."
'Accused of murder and rape were in the crowd'
Image source: Vipin KUmar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
The most serious allegation is regarding the Cockroach Janata Party's demonstration at Jantar Mantar on July 20.
Police have written in the affidavit, "On July 20, more than 30 thousand people had gathered at Jantar Mantar, including people involved in serious crimes like rioting, murder, rape and drug trafficking."
According to the police, "The video footage shows that the protesters are removing the protective equipment of the policemen, dragging them, removing their helmets. Which appears to be mob violence and lynching of the policemen."
Police claim that more than 240 policemen were injured in this violence.
The administration had conducted a large-scale shutdown in Delhi on October 10, details of which are available in the affidavits.
According to the Railways' affidavit, around 241 trains (200 passenger and 41 express) to and from Delhi were canceled between October 9 and 10.
Delhi Police had closed 45 metro stations for 25 hours to stop the "movement of unruly crowds".
The Union Home Secretary said in his affidavit that mobile internet was closed from 10 pm on October 9 to 10 pm on October 10 within a radius of four kilometers of Raisina Hill.
He called it an appropriate step to maintain law and order and clarified that services like broadband and Wi-Fi were kept operational deliberately.
Why did the protest take place and what is its connection with the July incident?
Cockroach Janata Party i.e. CJP and All India Students Association had called for a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and withdrawal of SIR.
According to the Indian Express, more than 7,500 protesters were detained in Delhi between 10 and 11 October. The next day, Rahul Gandhi and the leaders of the India Alliance went out to march towards the Supreme Court in protest against the government's action.
Delhi Police says that the experience of the July 20 protest was also behind the steps taken in October.
At that time CJP had protested against the paper leak and the then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. After this the protesters tried to march towards the Parliament.
Police allege that during the protest, barricades were broken, government property was damaged and policemen were attacked.
At the same time, CJP founder Abhijeet Deepke had accused the police of assaulting the protesters, especially women.
At that time the police had registered five FIRs. In these, sections related to rioting, damaging government and private property and attacking government employees on duty were imposed.
Published by Collective Newsroom for the BBC.
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