JNU protest march: 2 police constables suspended

A woman constable and a head constable of the Delhi Police have been suspended for allegedly snatching the camera of a photo-journalist during a protest march organised by JNU students, the department said today.

On Friday, Jawaharlal Nehru University students had taken out the march from the varsity campus towards the Parliament Complex over various demands, including academic freedom.

They were, however, stopped near Sanjay Jheel area in south Delhi by the police, who also resorted to baton-charge and used water cannons to disperse the students participating in the march.

In the clashes that followed, journalists were targeted.

Two journalists have filed separate complaints accusing police personnel of assaulting and molesting media persons.

"On a complaint received from the photo-journalist who had alleged snatching of her camera, a case was registered and taken up for investigation. The camera has since been traced and the police is contacting the photo-journalist to facilitate its restoration," the police said.

Madhur Verma, Delhi Police PRO, said two police personnel have been placed under suspension.

"On the basis of the preliminary findings of vigilance enquiry for the unprofessional conduct of mishandling the journalist's camera during crowd control, one woman constable of the Delhi Armed Police and one head constable (male) have been placed under suspension," he added.

A group of journalists had yesterday protested outside the Delhi Police Headquarters, demanding strict action against the police personnel accused of assaulting and molesting media persons.