NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police came in the line of duty of the media on Saturday, as thousands of protesters tried to get past the heavy security arrangements. The police targeted the media persons, putting the message and messenger on equal footing. One of them even issued crude threats to a journalist.
As journalists risked injury in order to report the happening on a volatile day, the police saw them as nuisance at par with youth agitators. The police took exception to the fact that scores of them—junior and senior, from mainstream and alternative media—were present whenever small groups of protesters gave the security labyrinth a miss and sneaked through the multi-layers of policing.
Many police personnel, across their designations, showed a dismissive attitude towards media persons as if the police handling of protesters should not be subjected to media scrutiny. Many media persons were told to “obey the directions” and “not argue” with officials.
Police personnel were seen misbehaving with young and veteran journalists near Palika Kendra at Connaught Place. While a police constable was seen pushing journalists, heckling and talking roughly, another one pushed the print journalist, asking him to go to another side “designated for journalists”.
When the journalist asked the policeman not to push him, he said, “Tu kisi bhi media se hai, farak nahi padta. Yaha se chup-chap chala ja, warna samjha dunga tere ko (I don’t care which media organisation you belong to. Get lost from here, or I will teach you a lesson).”
Near the Kerala House, journalists were forced to stay behind a rope on a pavement. They were not allowed to sit even at roundabouts or move freely on roads which were almost vacant.
Dawn to dusk
6 am: Stringent traffic restrictions imposed in New Delhi district, especially on roads leading to Jantar Mantar
6.50 am: CJP founder Abhijit Dipke leaves Mumbai hotel for Delhi, boards flight with Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka
10 am: YouTuber Dhruv Rathee detained from Gurugram house
10.50 am: Dipke, Das and Ranka detained from the aircraft as their flight from Mumbai lands at IGI Airport in Delhi
11.30 am: Police chase away CJP protesters trying to reach Jantar Mantar. Protesters kept regrouping for the next few hours
12 noon: Several Left members, lawyers march from SC towards Jantar Mantar, detained. Police step up security at Dipke’s home in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. People heading to Jantar Mantar detained, taken to Chhatrasal Stadium. Dipke, Das and Ranka sent to three different locations
12:30 pm: Contempt plea filed in SC for violation of its direction to ensure no inconvenience to common people during protest
CPM MP John Brittas and former Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, on their way to Jantar Mantar, detained
1.15 pm: Dipke releases a video that he recorded in the flight, hands over the protest’s command to Ajinkya Shinde
2 pm: AISA national president Neha Bora detained in south Delhi
2:30 pm: Former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and other Trinamool leaders detained after dharna in South Avenue
3 pm: Former Delhi CM and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal detained; released later
8:15 pm: SC agrees to hear on Sunday plea against detention of lawyers