Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The unofficial ‘war’ between the police and Bajrang Dal activists which erupted after the latter demanded registration of case of attempted murder against policemen involved in lathi-charging Dal activists, and the suspension and transfer of some cops after the incident, has now spread to the social media.
Many policemen have changed their WhatsApp status to ‘Khaki ka bhi toh maan hai’ (The Khaki - representing the police – also deserves respect.) None of the policemen who had changed their status was willing to come on record, but in private they admitted that it was directed at the Bajrang Dal and also to remind the senior officers at PHQ, Bhopal who have ordered an inquiry into the police lathi-charge, that the rank and file should not be ‘sacrificed’ due to political pressure.
Reacting to the police ‘offensive’, some Bajrang Dal activists too changed their WhatsApp status which now says; ‘Respect for the Khaki will be there, but protecting people who are providing drugs to youngsters will not be tolerated. Do not blame Bajrang Dal to hide your own mistakes. Bajrang Dal is always with the uniform, but they will be against any wrongdoings.’ The ‘war’ between the police and Bajrang Dal started on June 15 when the latter went to the Palasia police station in large numbers to give a memorandum against the alleged rise in supply of drugs in the area.
FPJ
Trouble started when Bajrang Dal activists insisted that they wanted to give the memorandum to the commissioner of police Makrand Deouskar, which the Palasia police station staff refused and there were heated exchanges. Then the activists were asked to vacate the police station premises, and they staged a chakka-jam at Palasia Square, misbehaved with police and commuters passing by and also allegedly pelted stones at policemen, injuring several of them. This was followed by a police lathi-charge in which several Bajrang Dal activists were injured.
However, Bajrang Dal activists said they were not involved in stone pelting and they were sitting peacefully and the lathi-charge was unprovoked. They also alleged that the cops deliberately targeted their leaders and demanded that an attempt to murder case should be registered against the cops involved in the lathi charge, which has further angered the policemen.
The statements by senior ministers against the police, followed by line attachment and transfer of some of the cops involved in the lathi-charge and ordering of an inquiry by the PHQ into the whole affair, cemented the distance between the policemen and Bajrang Dal.
