Delhi Police on Thursday said that 27 people were arrested after a scuffle between slum dwellers and drug addicts which resulted in heavy traffic jam in northwest Delhi's Ashok Vihar area.
The police said that it started with a scuffle between Santosh (23), a resident of AO Block of Shalimar Bagh, and two-three drug addicts near Prem Badi bus stand on Wednesday night. An angry Santosh called on the local slum residents for help, who came out and started blocking traffic, police said. Eight police personnel along with Santosh were injured in the incident, said the police, adding that police vehicles were also damaged by the crowd of nearly 180 people. The incident took place when Sub-Inspector (SI) Prem Prakash was patrolling with his staff near Prem Bari Pul.
According to the police, at around 10.30 P.M. S-I Prakash saw that the residents of AO block in Shalimar Bagh had gathered on the opposite side near Prem Bari bus stand. Meanwhile, a PCR call was also received at the Shalimar Bagh police station regarding traffic being stopped by the residents. S-I Prakash along with his staff immediately rushed to the spot of the disturbance. District reserves and police force from nearby police stations was also mobilised, a senior police officer said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Usha Rangnani said, "During local enquiry, it came into our notice that a person named Santosh has some quarrel with some drug addict boys and when he called the local residents for help, traffic was blocked.” She added that the slum dwellers were getting agitated and were also raising slogans aggressively.
She said that the police tried to pacify the around 150-180 people who had gathered but they started to disrupt the flow of traffic and sat down on the road. “When police tried to remove them from road to allow movement of traffic, some of the miscreants resorted to pelting of stones and bottles on passers by and police personnel," she said.
They also tried to set a traffic motorcycle on fire but the fire was immediately doused by the police. They also broke the glasses of three-four police vehicles, she added. "The situation was brought under control by resorting to use of mild force and lathi charge. During the incident, Santosh and eight police personnel got injured. All the injured persons were discharged from the hospital after treatment," Rangnani said. A case has been registered under Section 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 147 (rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence commitÂted in prosecution of common object), 307 (attempt to murder), 308 (Attempt to commit culpable homicide) of Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of Damage to Pubic Property Act in connection with incident, according to police.