india

Updated: Nov 07, 2019 05:55 IST

Amid the tussle between police and lawyers in Delhi, Alwar police in Rajasthan booked more than half-a-dozen lawyers in four cases for allegedly assaulting four police constables on Wednesday. In one of these cases, lawyers have also been booked for sexual harassment of a woman constable.

Alwar superintendent of police Anil Paris Deshmukh said investigation of the four cases has been given to deputy superintendent of police (Traffic) Vijay Pal Singh. President of Alwar bar association Udai Singh is named in all the four FIRs.

Deshmukh said a head constable from Faridabad (Haryana) and three constables, one of them woman, from Alwar had gone to four different courts in the district court premises around 11AM for judicial work. “According to the FIR, lawyers began thrashing and harassing the constables. We had to rush additional force to rescue the constables,” the SP said.

He said the lawyers even sexually harassed the lady constable. The constables were brought to the SP office where they made their complaints against the lawyers.

The SP said the first case was registered at the mahila thana under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The other three cases were registered at Kotwali police station under section 143 (unlawful assembly), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the IPC.

Police said since the assault, scuffle between police and lawyers was reported at least three more times.

Later, Rajasthan high court registrar general (RG) wrote to the district and sessions judge of Alwar to constitute a coordination committee. “The scuffle between advocates and police at Alwar was brought to the notice of the chief justice who has directed you to constitute a coordination committee with district collector, superintendent of police and bar president of Alwar to take all necessary steps under the guidance of the inspecting judge to resolve the issue and to ensure that harmony is maintained and peace is not disturbed,” the RG’s letter said.

Meanwhile, district bar association president Udai Singh said no such incident occurred on the court premises.

Lawyers in Alwar have been on strike following the incident at Delhi’s Tis Hazari court last Saturday, when lawyers and police accused each other of assault.