Civil Services aspirants who had clashed with police on Thursday night stepped up their protests on Friday morning as they tried to march towards Parliament where they were stopped by police and later taken into preventive custody.
Police were ready and a large contingent of police personnel was deployed to deal with any emergent situation. Police later rounded up 300 protesters for breach of peace. Meanwhile, an aspirant, identified as one Neeraj, tried to immolate himself in Mukherjee Nagar area but was saved by the alert Police Control Room (PCR) van which was patrolling in the area. A case of attempt to suicide was also registered against him.
Hundreds of Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) aspirants on Friday morning decided to march towards the Parliament since the Government was not acceding to their demands.
The protesters were unrelenting and a ruckus was created. Despite repeated requests by the police the protesters refused to disperse. The police had to force the students in the bus and detain them for violating the prohibitory order. The students refused to move and lay down on the roads. Police officers had to pick them up and push them inside the bus. “We did not lathicharge any student. Only when they lay down on the roads the policemen had to physically pick them up and put them in the bus. Some protesters were even trying to move out of the bus and run away but were caught and detained at the Parliament police station. 300 protesters including six girls were detained and were later let off by the evening,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) SBS Tyagi. No case has been registered he further added. One of the detained protester at Parliament Street also fainted in police custody but was rushed to RMl hospital where his condition is stated to be stable.
Earlier the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had shut the Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan stations for public from 12.45 pm to 3 pm. However, passengers could avail the inter-change facility at Central Secretariat station while the entries were shut. Normal metro services were restored 3 pm onward.
Protesters alleged that they were beaten up and lathi-charged by the police. Pappu Yadav Member of Parliament (MP) from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) also alleged that the girls were molested by the police. “We have studied in Hindi medium schools and it is difficult to be at par with the English medium ones. The translated version in Hindi is pathetic making it difficult for us,” said an aspirant from Gorakhpur. The UPSC aspirants have been protesting since long demanding scrapping of Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT). MP from Badaun Dharmendra Yadav showed full support and stated that the demands of the aspirants are correct and inside and outside the Parliament their party will support the cause. In Mukerjee Nagar as well some students sat on a dharna but later dispersed after police intervened. Police force has been deployed in North and North-West areas to ensure peace.