NEW DELHI: As many as five security guards were injured during a violent clash between private security guards and vendors near the iconic India Gate in the national capital, officials said on Wednesday.
The injured security guards were identified as Rambir Singh (41), Sandeep (36), Laxmi Singh (37), Pitambar Singh (43), and Prem Singh (42).
According to the police, a PCR call was received on Tuesday regarding a quarrel at Children Park, Shahjahan Road after which the police personnel reached the spot and found that there was a clash between private security guards and vendors as the latter were not being allowed to sell eatables.
"The security guards were asking them to vacate the India gate stretch. It is hereby mentioned that the India Gate stretch is no vending zone," Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Pranav Tayal said.
He said that some vendors got agitated after they were stopped by the security guards.
"At 3.30 pm when the New Delhi Municipal Corporation officials were loading the vendor's materials into their truck, they started pelting construction materials and sticks of their's vending stand on the private guards due to which 5 guards sustained injuries," the DCP said.
However, in some of the purported videos of the incident, the security guards could be seen thrashing the vendors.
Accordingly, the police registered an FIR under sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 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), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 308 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
According to the FIR of the incident, accessed by the New Indian Express, a private security company has the contract of security at the India Gate, and as many as their 50 security guards are always deployed there. Their duty is to keep the vendors and hawkers away from the non-vending zone of the India Gate stretch. The police too had recently started a drive in this respect.
"On December 3, an NDMC vehicle was lifting things of the vendors and some of the vendors got violent and started obstructing the NDMC staff. They began beating the NDMC staff, security guards, and police personnel with sticks during which several security guards were injured. A PCR van was also there which took the injured security guards to a hospital," the FIR lodged by a Delhi Police personnel read.
He identified the accused vendors as Badam Singh, Roshan, Binod, Rinku, and Bijendra alias Binna. DCP Tayal informed that they have initiated a probe into the incident.