Lawyers-police clashes continue in Jaipur, over 30 injured

Jaipur : Clashes between lawyers and police continued here for the second day Thursday leaving at least 30 people, including over 20 policemen, injured, police said.

Judicial services were crippled as the lawyers boycotted work demanding suspension of senior police officers. They torched a police control room vehicle while damaged about 10 cars passing through the Banipark area, police added.

A senior police officer said that the Banipark area where the sessions and district court buildings are located had been barricaded following information that lawyers had gathered there in large numbers.

The violence Thursday began after a group of lawyers torched the temporary lock-up used for holding prisoners in the court premises in the morning.

“The lawyers then started pelting stones on the policemen deputed on law and order duty. They surrounded a police control room vehicle and torched it. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Mahendra Singh and at least 20 other policemen were injured in the stone pelting,” said the officer.

However, the lawyers claimed that they were trying to hold talks with police and alleged that the agitating lawyers were beaten up by policemen without any provocation.

Police cordoned off the entire area and used tear gas to disperse the scattered crowed of lawyers.

The lawyers damaged about 10 vehicles parked near the court premises by smashing their glass windows.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot appealed for peace and said that lawyers’ demands will be looked into.

About two dozen people, including advocates and police officers, were injured when clashes occurred between lawyers and police outside the state assembly building during the ongoing budget session Wednesday.

To draw attention to their demands, the lawyers broke security barricades put up by the police and marched towards the assembly building.

The demands included a residential project on subsidised rates for lawyers, allowance of Rs.2,000 per month for lawyers with less than five years of experience, allocation of Rs.10 crore to the Rajasthan Lawyers’ Welfare Board and the constitution of a Lawyers’ Welfare Act.