New Delhi: “Meri Koi Galti Nahi Hai (I am not at fault)”, says Assistant Sub-inspector Yograj as he recalls the road rage incident in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar, which escalated into an ugly street fight that saw lathis and swords being brandished on a busy street.
Yograj, for those who saw the viral videos of the shocking incident, was the policeman in plain clothes trying to overpower a tempo driver who was seen threatening cops with a sword. Though the ASI succeeded in snatching the weapon from the man, he received head injuries in the process and had to get stitches.
Yograj, who continued to report to work despite the pain, finally took a day’s medical leave and recounted the incident.
“ASI Devender was on ERV (emergency response vehicle) duty. The tempo driver’s vehicle touched the ERV. Wahan pe nok-jhok hui…uske baad woh police station ke bahar aa gaya…Police ne unhe rok diya aur wahan pe nok-jhok jyada ho gayi... unhone apni talwar nikal ke daraaya ki koi bhi saamne naa aaye (There was a mild altercation first after which the driver came near the police station. The police stopped him, which worsened the situation. He then brandished his sword and threatened us to stay away),” he said.
Yograj was inside the police station on deployment duty when the incident occurred. He says he got a request to send more personnel as a man on the road had taken out a sword.
“Jab main baahar nikla toh wahan ka scene kuch aur hi ho rakha tha. Sardar ji hawa mein talwar lehra ke police ki taraf bhaag rahe thay aur police piche ki taraf bhaag rahi thi (When I came out of the police station, there was a different scene on the road… Sardar ji was waving his sword and running towards the policemen who were trying to retreat),” he said.
Yograj said he managed to overpower the driver but the man’s son started hitting him to loosen his grip. The cop, however, said he kept holding on to the man despite attacks. “Pehli baar talwar paer pe lagi aur phir dusri baar sar pe lagi… maine usse jaane nahi diya kyunki darr tha kahin woh kisi aur pe attack na kar de (He first attacked my leg with the sword and the second time he attacked my head, leading to injuries. Despite that, I didn’t let him go as he could have attacked other people too),” he said.
The ASI said the driver’s son, meanwhile, drove the tempo into some police officers and ran over their leg, injuring them too. He added that he only let the man go when police had seized his sword. As the cops dragged the tempo driver to the police station, locals rushed Yograj to a hospital.
When quizzed about the decision to suspend three officers for their “unprofessional conduct” in the incident, Yograj refused to comment. However, he was quick to add: “Mere se kaafi bade aur senior officers hain. Unko jyada achche se pata hai. Unke baare mein main kya keh sakta hoon (They are my seniors, they know better. What can I say about them)”.
Though Delhi Police has received criticism for the way it handled the incident, a section has also come down heavily on the top brass of the force for acting against the three policemen under pressure. In a video that has surfaced online, the district deputy commissioner can be seen trying to pacify protesters who had come out on the street against the incident.
She first tells the mob that the cops are being sent to district lines but when the crowd demands a suspension, she agrees. Yograj, too, knows his colleagues have been suspended to contain the situation.
“Humaare senior officers ke upar bhi kaafi dabav hota hai... Humare senior ACP KG Tyagi ke saath bhi badtameezi aur maar peet ki...(Our senior officers are under a lot of pressure. Our senior officer ACP KG Tyagi was manhandled and beaten up by the protesters),” he said.
Apart from a report from the ministry of home affairs, the Delhi Police chief has also ordered a detailed fact-finding inquiry into the matter to be headed by Manish Kumar Agrawal, joint commissioner of police (Northern Range).
Confident that he did his best to handle the situation, Yograj said he was not afraid of the probe. “Meri koi galti nahi hai. Inquiry se achha hai ki sachhai saamne aa jayegi (I didn’t do anything wrong. The inquiry will put things in order and the truth will come out),” he concluded.
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