Hans News Service New Delhi

Thedaughter of a Delhi Police SI who sustained injuries during the clash between police and protesters in Delhi, says, “Before joining the police, my father served as a Marine Commando in the Indian Navy. He dedicated 15 years of his life to the Indian Navy.

“My father was present at the main protest site. He was on the front line near the barricades, where there was a large crowd. Whenever my father came home at night, he used to say that the protest no longer seemed like a student protest. Many antisocial elements had become involved in it. “The very next day, on the 25th, my father was pulled by a rowdy mob and was almost lynched near the stage at Jantar Mantar. This happened on the 25th at around 2 pm. He remained unconscious at RML Hospital for about four hours. Around 10 pm, his colleagues brought him home, and his uniform was completely stained with blood. “It was extremely painful for us to see him in that condition...When I opened social media, I saw that my father was being called a criminal. The very next day, I came to know that the people who had attacked my father were approaching the Supreme Court to wash away their crimes and were filing complaints against him and all the police personnel.

“ I felt very hurt and decided that I should also seek justice for my father. I received support from other police families, and we went to the Supreme Court. We requested an advocate to present our case before the Honorable Supreme Court. The advocate assured us that we, too, have equal rights as citizens of this country and that we would also get justice”. Her mother says, “The moment he returned home late on the night of July 20, injured as he was, was incredibly painful and traumatic for both me and my two-year-old daughter. I am accompanied here by other family members of Delhi Police personnel, and we wish to share our ordeal with you”. Another family member of a Delhi Police official who sustained injuries during the clash alleged that the protest was disrupted by “mischievous elements”.

“This was not a student protest; rather, there were mischievous elements who tried to sabotage and discredit the students’ protest and shatter the dignity of Parliament,” the family member said. “These miscreants should be punished for their actions and not spared, while the students should be let off after their records are processed,” the family member added.