October 23, 2026 12:59 am (IST)
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In Delhi, police breaks bones and homes
New Delhi, Aug 13 (IBNS): Firing teargas grenades, charging iron rods and hurling stones with ferocity, the Delhi Police and a small mob attacked women, children, old and the sleeping in a midnight attack recently on West Delhi’s Kathputli colony, the people of the community – consisting mainly of performers and artists facing forced eviction – have alleged.
Even though the police deny much of the account, local people say the offensive began on Monday night around 10 pm and proceeded well into the wee hours of Tuesday.
“They came, started beating everybody indiscriminately, pelted huge stones and bricks and fired teargas canisters sometimes even directly into people’s faces,” Vijay, a resident, said.
Though this reporter cannot verify the veracity of the account, the carnage that lay at the scene the morning-after testified for a disturbingly violent skirmish.
Dozens of doors – wooden and iron – lay broken as residents cried horrifying tales of men and police entering their homes, beating people up and in some cases taking them in their ‘custody’.
“These things keep happening. The communities living here – the Valmiki and the Kathputli people – they often clash with each other over nothing,” a police officer, who sported a bandaged arm, said.
But over at the other colony, that of the alleged assailants who live in residential homes unlike the slum-dwelling Kathputli people, there were hardly any signs of destruction or violence.
At Kathputli Colony, nearly every second home bore signs of a forced entry, broken furniture and people showing gory wounds and bruises.
“They came from everywhere. Someone climbed on the roof and started tearing it down. They came in and took my son,” a woman, sobbing uncontrollably, said.
But the real disturbing accusation was the degree of police involvement in the assault – a tale of not mere excessive force but active intent of causing harm to the same citizenry they are sworn to protect.
“Police gave the attacking men helmets and rods and asked them to join the operation. They just wanted to inflict maximum damage,” a resident said.
Police however denied any allegation of excessive force, insisting that they were only there last night to quell a mob that was beginning to get violent.
On Sunday night the neighbourhoods teetered on rioting after clashes broke out between ‘kids’ of the two colonies, a police official said – declining to be named.
On Monday the situation was replicated as a scuffle began at the Valmiki colony and soon started spiralling into a riot, he said.
“We went in and broke off the violence. When some of them charged at us. We hit back,” the police officer said.
But the police did not resort to excessive force while tackling the situation, Jagdish Lal, an officer at the nearby post who said he was an ‘acting Station Head Officer’, said.
Arjun Singh, who was said to be most senior officer at the Ranjit Nagar police station could not be reached despite repeated attempts.
Residents of Kathputli colony face a forced eviction as the land their slum houses occupy is set to be redeveloped into residential blocks, offices and malls.
Some of them are eligible to receive apartments in the complexes planned by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Raheja Developers while others are uncertain about their future.
Scuffles between the residents consisting of families performance artists – including puppeteers who lend the Colony its name – and the police have been reported time to time.
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