Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 28: Intensifying their strike in protest against manhandling of their colleague, hundreds of lawyers today took out a protest rally demanding suspension of the cops of Gandhi Nagar Police Station.
Shouting anti-police slogans the lawyers took out protest rally from High Court complex to Ambphalla Chowk this afternoon. They were demanding suspension of the Station House Officer of Gandhi Nagar Police Station and other cops for allegedly manhandling a lawyer.
“It is unfortunate that the senior police officers despite continuous strike by the lawyers, have not taken any action against the cops for ‘misbehaving’ and ‘thrashing’ our colleague advocate in a full public view,” said president of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Jammu M K Bhardwaj and V R Wazir, former President, adding “we demand suspension of the cops followed by an independent enquiry by a committee comprising members of Police Department and judiciary”.
“Suspension which is not at all a punishment, as is being projected by the police authorities, neither amounts to victimization nor demoralization of police officials responsible for beating and illegally detaining advocate Harshwardhan Gupta”, they said, adding “suspension is a rule of law which should be adopted by the police and state authorities to restore the shattered confidence of the lawyers in particular and public in general which is the consequence of such repeated incidents and has become in fact a routine”.
Meanwhile, work in the High Court as well as District Court complex remained paralyzed for the 8th day today as all the lawyers abstained from the work on the strike call given by Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Jammu.
Later in the day, SSP Jammu visited High Court Complex and met office bearers of Bar Association and YLA, who reiterated demand for suspension of the erring police officials immediately so that an independent, impartial and fair inquiry in the matter can be conducted at the earliest, to restore the public confidence.
The Association has decided to hold a scooter/car rally tomorrow.
Meanwhile, expressing concern over the situation arising out of the lawyers agitation, Congress MLC Ravinder Sharma today asked the authorities concerned to avoid the path of confrontation and settle the issue at the earliest.
In a statement, Mr Sharma expressed concern over the situation arising out of the lawyers strike and said that the prevailing situation has caused hardships to the litigants besides creating wedge between the organizations responsible for maintaining rule of law and safety of the rights of the people.
Former MP and president of J&K Samajwadi Party, Sheikh Abdul Rehman, while extending moral support to the agitation against the high handedness of law enforcing agency, has urged upon the Chief Minister and Home Department to impart proper training to the rank and file of the Police Department on dealing with the civilized and prudent class of society.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
