At Jantar Mantar, protesters return to demand justice

If anguish and grief marked Saturday protest at Jantar Mantar, Sunday saw a different tone and tenor.

It returned to one of anger, with the crowd shouting slogans against the government and police.

A skirmish broke out between protesters and police, reminiscent of the scenes of last Sunday when India Gate erupted.

Around 1 pm, a group of nearly 40 persons, some of whom were from youth wings of political organisations, announced that they would march to India Gate. Even as policemen tried to reason with them that Section 144 (CrPC) had been imposed around India Gate, some turned violent.

They tried to break through the barriers, while others started pelting stones at police personnel.

A senior police officer said, "We have detained five persons for the incident. There was a skirmish but normalcy returned quickly."

What was normal at Jantar Mantar, however, were loud sloganeering against police and the government. The crowd shouted slogans like "Delhi Police should be for us, not against us". They vented their anger against Rahul and Sonia Gandhi in particular with cries of "Desh ke yuva yaha hai, Rahul aur Sonia kaha hai (The nation's youth are here. where are Rahul and Sonia?)" renting the air.

Sanjeev Prasad, a multi-national executive who works in a Noida firm, said, "The woman's death is because of a system that allows such incidents to happen. They must change and listen to us. But they are not even here."

There were others who showed their anger less vociferously. One end of the Jantar Mantar had a signature campaign, on which people wrote in support of the victim and her family. "Your courage has inspired us", read one tribute while some vented their anger against the government. "Our sister's death is blood on your hands", read another.

... contd.

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