ADCP Sandeep Lamba seen in viral video slapping woman protester removed from Jantar Mantar, TMC MP seeks FIR against him | Today’s news
Delhi Police has reportedly removed Additional DCP (North East District) Sandeep Lamba from protest duty at Jantar Mantar after he was caught on camera slapping a protesting woman during the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) ‘Chalo Sansad’ march.
According to reports, Lamba was removed from duty in the New Delhi zone due to the controversy and videos on social media.
“He was relieved of all security-related duties in Delhi and returned to the North-East district where he is posted. The Special Commissioner held a meeting after which it was decided to send him back. He himself was attacked by protesters and sustained injuries,” a senior police officer told Hindustan Times.
Sandeep Lamb’s videos are causing outrage
A 2011 batch officer from the Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli Police Services (DANIPS) sparked huge outrage after he slapped a female protester.
The widely circulated video also came from advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who on Wednesday appeared for two petitioners – Umesh Kumar and Anshul Kumar in a PIL in the Delhi High Court, alleging that the police and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) used excessive force against the protesters, including women and children.
The Delhi High Court takes note
Seeking a probe into the incident, the Solicitor General argued that the protesters were exercising their fundamental right to peacefully protest the NEET irregularities and the fact that a march to Parliament would be held on July 20 was common knowledge.
Lawyer Sankaranarayanan said hundreds of publicly available videos show brutality by police personnel who did not even have their name tags and some were not even in uniform.
“Another DCP Sandeep Lamba is seen slapping a woman who is not doing anything. She is not moving.
“I can show the video now. We are not afraid to name our thugs in uniform when they deserve it. He should be summoned here and asked to answer,” argued Sankaranarayanan.
Appearing for the police and the Centre, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju said PILs are “in the realm of conjecture” and if anyone has a complaint, they should approach a “fact-specific” court to seek registration of an FIR.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday ordered authorities to preserve all relevant records related to the police action, including CCTV footage and all video footage.
TMC MP seeks FIR against Lamba
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale said on Thursday that he has filed a complaint with the SHO, Parliament Street Police Station, for registering an FIR against Lamba.
“Thousands of students, parents and children gathered peacefully that day. Over 90 were injured. There are videos of men in uniforms without name tags, lathis studded with nails and beating children. Every single police officer who illegally attacked peaceful protesters must be brought to justice. Not a single one of them should be spared,” Gokhale said in a social media post.
