It started very serenely as if people were there with the intent of staying for entire day. Small groups of electric youth shouting slogans and raising their hands in air to show their unity, they were there for the cause. They were there to make sure that their mother, sisters, daughters and friends were ensured of safety. They were there to make sure that the rapists were given a fitting punishment. They were there for humanity, for nation, and for its citizens.
We went there in a group of six. We went ahead and joined random groups, shouted at our tops and waved the glorious Tiranga. And then we noticed that not everyone was there with a peaceful intention. Some anti-social elements were hurling stones at the policemen and then running away like idiots. In retaliation, the Policemen kept bursting Tear Gas bombs. It was for the first time I witnessed its effects. Red watery eyes and choked lungs were immediate effects of it. It still was controlled. The Anti Riot vehicles were constantly spraying strong jets of water to disperse the mob. The defiant Dilliwallahs were bravely bearing it on their chests despite the December chill. The anti-social elements kept on increasing and the stone hurling too and so did the tear gas bombs and the Water cannons.
We tried our level best to control the unruly mob. Some good people joined us and it still looked peaceful. The Police men sometimes sprang in groups of 50-60 and lathi charged the front liners. I got a cane at my back. Painful it was but justified. While I was running towards a place which was less affected by Tear gas bombs, I came across Guddu(Garbage Bin) who was doing the same thing, shouting slogans, waving Tiranga and controlling the unruly mob. NDTV Van was there and was broadcasting a fabricated version of the protest. In their words “Ye Wahi Gandhi ka desh hai Jahan log haath jod kar Azaadi maangte the ahinsak tareeke se, aur aaj ki Yuva Peedhi Patthar maar ke insaaf maar rahi thi”, well it was true partially but was hugely exaggerated. The Policemen were not all courteous as well. A spark created by me made the NDTV guy delete the video and record a fresh and balanced version of it. God knows what they broadcasted.
People were blowing conch shells, trumpets and were blasting on microphones. The movement was without a leader but was still organized. And then everything went for a toss. The frequency of tear bombs reduced and real bombs increased. Real bombs of low intensity sans sharp-nails bursted every where heavy enough to blow legs of people in their environs. People started running and I witnessed at least five near-stampedes. We met a fellow TFIan Sandeep Singh and continued protesting.
Soon, logs of wood (from the barricades and wooden railings) were broken and were arranged in “neat” heaps. Mind the double quotes. A disorderly mob under the threat of lathi charge cannot be that precise in heap arrangement. Also the wood was wet from the constant water spraying but was soon aflame. I could also smell petrol. Pretty clever of the protesters to carry cans and cans and cans of petrol with them. Similar heaps were burning everywhere. The iron barricades were being dragged and thrown everywhere. I could smell fish all around. Looked like a group of trained people executing a well rehearsed plan. There was pandemonium and our police men had to establish law and order.
And they did it by lathi charging everyone who came in their way. While one of our friends was trying to rescue an old lady who was almost at the verge of getting crushed under a barricade, a bomb exploded under his feet. His ankle was all blood and gore. Another friend was beaten by 5 policemen together. Ladies were beaten, children were beaten and gentlemen were given a thrashing of a lifetime. Mayurdhwaj Singh one of our active TFIan was standing at a deserted corner and was trying to find our whereabouts was beaten by at least a dozen policemen. He was beaten till the time he fell unconscious on the ground with a severe head injury. I was talking to a policeman with a couple of stars on his shoulders to stop the carnage. I was attacked as well. While I showed a hands up sign to denote peace, I was beaten mercilessly too. Gladly, I didn’t incur any head injury but a stiff neck, an aching back and huge skin tear at my left thigh was what I earned. A group of fleeing Protesters showed some mercy and dragged me along with them while the “shoulder stars” policeman had a huge grin on his face. I turned back to see people tumbling, toppling over each other and shouting. The Policemen were attacking from everywhere. They didn’t want to disperse the mob. They wanted to kill them.
A friend Sandeep helped me reach LNJP hospital in which Mayurdhwaj and other injured folks were rushed. Mayur came out with seven stitches, the guy who was trying to save the old lady was admitted in the hospital. He lost a lot of blood and at least 200 Grams of flesh.
If Delhi Government wants us to believe that people setting the railings on fire were fellow Protesters, I raise my middle finger in full glory for you. It’s a long one and a very strong one. If you want to believe that lathi charging on old women and kids is justified, my middle finger thing still holds true. And If you believe that breaking someone’s skull open is justified, then hand the cane over to me, I’ll show how it tastes like. The Congress sponsored Hooligans was a plot that now everybody knows. And your retaliation to it is a big black blot on the face on humanity. I spit on your face.
Do you see an odd scary fog engulfing Delhi suddenly? Well, gods just don’t want to look at what is happening in the capital of the biggest democracy of the world.