Protesters armed with bricks, baseball bats: Cops

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police claimed on Sunday that Baba Ramdev’s supporters had come fully prepared for a violent agitation . According to officials, the protesters had stocked bricks, stones and baseball bats inside the pandal at Ramlila Maidan. Police also blamed Ramdev and his supporters for the stampede and stone pelting that was seen at the pandal while the force was trying to peacefully evict them.

“We found that bricks were stacked at Ramlila Maidan near the dais and other places. Several baseball bats were also recovered from the supporters during the clampdown. There are no bricks and stones in the Ramlila Maidan and police did not bring any. The stones had been placed there by Baba’s supporters,” said Dharmendra Kumar, special commissioner of police (law and order). Kumar also claimed that Delhi Police’s action had “nothing to do with the government” .

Baba Ramdev, police claimed, instigated the crowd to agitate when police teams went inside Ramlila Maidan and this was followed by a clash between police and supporters that lasted almost three hours. Police said the crowd started pelting stones around 1.30am after which eight teargas shells were lobbed between 1.40am to 2am and a mild lathicharge carried out. “They threw flowerpots , stones, speakers and sticks to attack policemen,” said a senior officer . Dharmendra Kumar said, “There was no lathicharge. About 62 people got injured because of stone-pelting and stampede” .

But police failed to comment on how and from where did the supporters bring stones, bricks and baseball bats as most of them came from outside Delhi.

Additional deputy commissioner of police, Rajan Bhagat said that “police exercised great restraint in dealing with supporters and the situation” . Police have filed a case of rioting, prevention of damage to public property and obstruction to public servant in discharge of public duties at Kamla Market police station.