Bar Council of India condemns attack on journalists at Patiala court complex

The Bar Council of India (BCI) on Monday condemned the attack on students and journalists by lawyers within and outside the Patiala House court complex.

In a statement, the BCI said that its chairman, Manan Kumar Mishra, has taken a serious view of the violence inside and outside the court premises and assured that the incidents will be probed by a former judge of the high court.

Mishra, who is currently at the Apollo Hospital, is expected to issue a formal statement later tonight on the incident.

About 40 lawyers were reportedly involved in the scuffle with the students and journalists after the former asked the students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University to stay outside the boundaries of the court complex, which the latter refused to do.

The lawyers reportedly chanted 'Bharat mata ki jai' and 'Vande Mataram' while attacking the students and the journalists.

Women constables stepped in when the lawyers roughed up some female students during the scuffle.

The students were in the area to demand the immediate release of Kanhaiya Kumar, president of the university;s students' union, who has been placed in police custody on an alleged sedition charge.