Ravidas temple protesters sent to 14-day judicial custody

A Delhi court sent Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and 95 others, arrested on charges of rioting and unlawful assembly following violent protest in Tughlakabad area, to 14-day judicial custody on Thursday, police said.

They were detained on Wednesday night after the protest against the demolition of a Ravidas temple and an FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code at Govindpuri police station.

On August 10, the temple in Jahanpanah Forest was removed by DDA on the direction of the Supreme Court. A boundary wall was erected on the lane that led to the temple, police said.

Police said more than 10,000 people had assembled at Ramlila Maidan to demand that a temple be constructed at the same site from where it was removed. But during the protest, nearly 5,000 people led by Azad made a plan to march towards the temple site.

Some of them had sticks and rods with flags fixed on them, the FIR stated.

They were raising slogans against the government and the Supreme Court.

When the protesters reached near Tara Apartment Red Light at 7.15pm, they demanded to go towards the spot but were told to not march towards the site of the demolished temple.

They first crossed the first barricade and police cordon. Later, some of them started pushing police officers and tried to break the second barricade at Ravidas Marg. They were warned if they take law in their hands, their assembly would be declared illegal, the FIR said.

Protest leaders were instigating them to break the police cordon, it said.

The protesters assaulted police with sticks, stones and rods in which Anand Prakash, the SHO of Jaitpur police station, Head Constable Narendra of Hazrat Nizamudin police station and Sub-Inspector Jitender of Kalkaji police station were severely injured, the FIR stated.

Police used 29 tear-gas shells to disperse them from Ravidas Marg. They kept on hurling stones towards police as well as damaged the properties and vehicles, it stated.

Some of them were also waving arms. They had burnt one government motorcycle and damaged several government vehicles, the FIR said.

Police have also recovered several wooden batons and iron rods from the area where most of the rioters were detained, police added.