As per Delhi Police’s report submitted to Union Home Ministry, as many as 890 personnel in uniform along with 27 senior officers, including a Deputy Commissioner of Police, had been deployed on the Patiala House courts complex in the national Capital on the fateful day when JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar was produced before the court for the second time. However, they failed to prevent assault on Kanhaiya Kumar, students, teachers and journalists on February 17. The men in uniform posted for security measures on the court complex were not only from the Delhi Police, but also from the CRPF and the ITBP. Kumar was assaulted despite a posse of 40 police personnel, including 15 men in plain clothes, escorting him to ensure his safety in a cavalcade of six vehicles from the Vasant Kunj police station to the city court. The details related to the deployment of security personnel at the court complex are part of the report prepared by the Delhi Police.
According to the report submitted to the Home Ministry after lawyers attack on the media and arrested Kanhaiya Kumar, there were as many as 275 personnel from the CRPF, including three Assistant Commandants and three inspectors, 70 personnel from the ITBP, including one Assistant Commandant and one Inspector, 150 Delhi Police men, including 15 Inspectors and six Assistant Commissioners of Police besides others at the court complex. The report, prepared by New Delhi Range Joint Commissioner of Police Mukesh Kumar Meena, said during repeated assault attempts by lawyers on the students’ union leader 10 policemen had also been injured.
The report said a group of lawyers who had already assembled inside the court complex tried to assault the accused from different sides. It said, “The ring round team and policemen deployed on the route surrounded him from all sides and gave body protection and thwarted repeated attempts to manhandle the accused. lot of commotion followed but he was escorted safely to the courtroom by the policemen despite some hiccups.”
Strangely, the report has not stated about the injuries which were received by Kanhaiya Kumar. It said, “later, the accused Kanhaiya Kumar alleged that around 3 pm he was attacked by lawyers and a group of goons bashed him up, tore his clothes and plucked his hair.” After the directions from the court, he was medically examined. Kumar’s medical report said he had chest pain and cough and had minor injuries on his foot, toe and nose.
The report said that Kumar had also told the Registrar General that he had seen some persons who had attacked him while entering the same chamber where he was present. The Registrar General and Kumar’s lawyers alerted the police following which a search was launched to trace the two suspects. The report, however, said that the two suspected attackers had “disappeared into the mob outside the court office/ chamber.”
The report also said that a few projectiles were also hurled towards different groups and on the visting lawyers who had come on the directions of the Supreme Court. “This was coupled with liberal dosage of even abusive language.”
The eight-page report concluded by saying that the court complex has eight gates where all persons, excluding the ones in lawyers’ attire, are frisked and checked. It said, “… black coat entry by anyone not connected with the profession cannot be ruled out.”