6 days Ago
Image used is for representational purposes only BHOPAL: The three accused involved in the rape, blackmail, sexual harassment , and torture of female students at a private college were produced before the court on Monday. However, the situation quickly escalated as news of their court appearance spread, drawing large crowds of lawyers. Infuriated lawyers created a commotion and physically assaulted the accused as soon as they entered the court premises.
Police struggled to shield them and managed to get them inside the courtroom . However, hundreds of lawyers gathered outside, chanting slogans against the accused and demanding action. The lawyers demanded that the accused be handed over to them, police said.
Sensing the escalating threat, police summoned additional forces from six different police stations as well as the Quick Response Force (QRF). The situation remained tense as the accused were locked inside the court until around 8:15 PM, having arrived at approximately 3:30 PM. During this time, tear gas and pepper sprays were said to be used, but police officers denied using any such items to disperse the angry lawyers.
Eventually, the accused were taken out through separate exits. However, in the process, the crowd managed to catch and assault accused Saad, tearing his clothes and beating him severely. During the scuffle, some cops were also manhandled.
Police officers denied that any accused or the cops were injured in the clash. Police said that of the three accused, Farhan and Ali were remanded to police custody, while Saad was sent to jail. Details of the court drama: Around 3:30 PM, Bag Sewania police brought Farhan, and Ashoka Garden police brought Ali and Saad to the court.
Farhan was presented at a lower-floor courtroom, where he went largely unrecognised and was safely returned after being granted police remand. However, Ali and Saad, presented in a courtroom on the first floor, were identified by the lawyers. Soon after, a large group of lawyers gathered and assaulted the two.
Additional police forces, led by five SHOs and Additional DCP (Zone-2) Mahavir Singh Mujalde, were deployed to control the situation. Tear gas and pepper spray were allegedly used within the court premises as tensions escalated, but cops denied it. By 6:00 PM, the judge left the court due to security concerns, and later even the Principal District Judge arrived to assess the worsening situation.
After a nearly five-hour-long standoff, police attempted to escort Saad out through a rear exit, but he was again attacked by the lawyers who tore his clothes and inflicted some injuries. Police somehow managed to get Saad into a vehicle and transported him back to the police station safely. Police forced to skip initial medical examination: Before presenting Farhan and Sahil in court, police took them to JP Hospital for a medical check-up.
However, members of the Hindu organisation Sanskriti Bachao Manch staged a protest, demanding the accused be handed over to them and threatening to blacken their faces. Amid the chaos, police had to rush the accused back without completing the medical procedures. Later, after the situation normalised at the hospital, the medical examinations were conducted.
Following the court hearing , Sahil was sent to jail, while police secured a two-day extension of Farhan’s custody for further investigation. Farhan was already under a three-day remand, but due to incomplete interrogation, additional time was granted. Fourth accused arrested from Nizamuddin colony: Meanwhile, police arrested a fourth accused, Ali, from a girl’s residence in Nizamuddin Colony.
DCP Zone-1 Priyanka Shukla said Ali, a resident of Aishbagh area, was arrested following a raid and is being questioned further. Police officials said that Ali fell down and broke his leg as he tried to flee during a police raid at his hideout in Nizamuddin Colony. Ali has been taken on a five-day remand for questioning regarding allegations of rape and trafficking of victims.
However, two of the accused, Nabeel and Abrar, both from Bihar, are still on the run. Police officials said that teams have been sent for their arrest. Accused paraded: Bag Sewania police paraded the three accused — Farhan, Saad, and Sahil — on the main road on Monday morning, making them perform squats publicly.
Additional DCP (Zone-2) Mahavir Singh Mujalde said that police did not use tear gas or pepper spray. Cops had not even carried these items to the court. The protester might have used the pepper spray or gas.
He said that a force of more than 150 cops were called to the court for the safety of the accused from the angry crowd. Initially, the police force was less in number, but due to the protest, additional force was called. Layers of security were formed to save the accused from the crowd.
Many cops were manhandled during the process. Police Commissioner Harinarayanchari Mishra said that as of now, no case has been registered in the court protest or the JP hospital protest. A report will be called from DCPs concerned, and a decision will be taken on the report.
Fourth FIR registered at Bag Sewania: A fourth FIR was registered against accused Sahil at Bag Sewania police station on charges of molestation with girls at his dance class..
