Police behaviour worse than mad animals', will intervene directly now, SC warns states
Referring to the recent incidents of two women protesters being assaulted by police officers in Delhi and Aligarh, the Supreme Court on Thursday warned all state governments and police departments against such action. "We are making it very clear that if such incidents are repeated anywhere in the country again, the culprit will have it directly from the court. We will go beyond the norms laid down as a principle of restraint," said a bench led by Justice G S Singhvi.
On the Aligarh incident, where a 65-year-old woman protesting against the rape of a minor was assaulted by a police official, the bench said: "Is your government left with any shame? Even a mad animal will not do what your officers are doing. How can an unarmed old lady be beaten? The way these officers are acting, it is an insult to the entire womanhood of the country. There seems to be no respect for human life. Your chief secretary must explain what is the status of a woman in your state."
Rapping the Delhi Police also, whose official had slapped a woman protester, it asked the concerned counsel if they had gone "berserk" as they committed such "dastardly" acts without any sense of responsibility. "We don't know how many more children and women will be beaten in this country. We realise it could be our mothers and sisters tomorrow. How can be they so atrocious? There would be a day when police officers will start assaulting people after entering their houses," said the court.
