Anti Rape Protests in New Delhi turned violent yesterday and caused severe damage to the city. Around 12 DTC buses and equal number of PCR vans and One vehicle of Delhi Doordarshan was also damaged.
Police carrying away Anti Rape Protesters in New Delhi
A part of the preparation work for the January 26 Republic Day parade was also damaged when some protesters uprooted the wooden and metal frames and made bonfires at five places. They also vandalized police vehicles as well as those belonging to some protesters.
Thousands of protesters were gathered at India Gate Sunday as part of increasing protests over the Dec 16 brutal Gang Rape of a 23-year-old woman.
The protests, mostly by students, saw lumpen elements mingling with the crowd and uprooting the metal and wooden frames put up for the Republic Day parade.
The unruly elements uprooted around 200 meters of the thick wooden planks and the metal frames and made huge bonfires of the wood at around five places. This was seen by an IANS correspondent present at the site.
The metal and wooden frames had been fixed alongside Raj Path near the Amar Jawan Jyoti, the flame commemorating the immortal solider. Preparations for the parade had begun early this month.
Protest at India Gate Turned Violent
The protesters also damaged a government car and several police vehicles parked near the area. Two motorcycles belonging to protesters also bore the brunt of the vandalism.
One car was turned upside down and its windows were smashed, while the wind-screen and windows of buses parked on the periphery were smashed.
As many as eight Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses hired by Delhi Police were damaged by the protesters. The buses were later parked near the Mandir Marg police station.