Disturbing picture of lawlessness Court on case of assault on police personnel

New Delhi, May 27 (PTI) A court here remanded three accused in judicial custody for two weeks for allegedly assaulting four police officials, saying the case paints a disturbing picture of lawlessness and brazen assault on the personnel while they were performing their duty.
     Judicial Magistrate Nidhi Singh was hearing Delhi Police’s plea seeking 14-day judicial custody of the three accused -- Manish Nagar, Shashikant Sharma and Tushar.
     In an order dated May 25, the court noted the prosecution’s version that on May 23, "At the bustling Green Park Market, a Mahindra Thar car, occupied by the accused and their associates, deliberately obstructed a Skoda car driven by a lone female, thereby wrongfully restraining her and precipitating a significant traffic snarl."
     It noted that when police officials, including head constable Anuj Tomar and constable Mohan Lal, allegedly intervened to restore order and requested the accused to clear the public thoroughfare, there was blatant defiance.
     "The situation allegedly escalated dramatically when the accused persons, along with their absconded accomplices, launched a physical assault upon assistant sub inspector Umesh and head constable Parveen, who were attempting to discharge their official duties and that in a contemptuous act, the police uniform of Umesh was torn," the court noted.
     Noting that the accused also reportedly assaulted the police officials while being escorted to the police booth, the court said it depicted a "sustained and repeated defiance of authority" and use of violence against law enforcement.
     "The prosecution's narrative, as encapsulated in the FIR and reiterated by the IO, paints a disturbing picture of lawlessness and brazen assault on uniformed police personnel in the line of duty," the court said.
     It noted that the prosecution had sought the trio’s judicial custody on the grounds of the possiblity of key public witnesses being influenced, other co-accused being at large and the offences being a "direct assault" on the state's law enforcement machinery and the rule of law.
     The court said, "The IO has buttressed his submissions by presenting CCTV footage of the incident in court, which, on a prima facie viewing, lends significant credence to the prosecution's account of aggressive conduct attributed to individuals resembling the accused."
     It said that the medico-legal cases of MLCs of the (four) injured police officials have been produced, documenting the injuries sustained.
    Head constable Anuj Tomar was present in court with a clearly visible and fresh black eye and associated injury around the orbital region (of the eye), which provided direct and observable corroboration of the alleged physical assault.
     The court noted the serious nature of the allegations involving assault on police officials performing their public duty, the disruption caused to public order, the fact that the investigation is still in its initial stages, and that three co-accused are yet to be apprehended.
    "There is a tangible risk that if the accused persons are released at this juncture, they may tamper with evidence, influence witnesses, or abscond," the court said allowing the plea.
     The FIR in the matter has been registered at the Safdarjung Enclave police staiton.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)