NEW DELHI: “My
foot
got stuck in a scooter and within seconds, protesters rained
stones
and lathis on me,” said
head constable Maqsood Ahmed
while referring to Sunday’s protests near
Jamia Millia Islamia
. Ahmed, who is among several injured police personnel, is in ICU.
With a swollen cheek, bloodstains on his hand, bandages on the head and a bruise under his right eye, Ahmed told TOI, “Some of the unruly protesters were being chased by police officers. Suddenly the crowd increased and turned towards police, forcing us to take a step back. My foot got stuck in a scooter. The moment it got stuck, protesters barged towards me.”
In the next five minutes, Ahmed, who was reportedly injured near the Zakir Husain tomb close to gate number 14 of the university, was beaten up allegedly by a group of protesters. A few of his colleagues who tried to save him also had to face stone-pelting. “I had a lathi with me but they were more in number. After this I only remember being lifted and put in a Gypsy and waking up in the hospital,” the cop, who joined Delhi Police in 1993, said.
TOI also spoke to a few other cops who have suffered injuries. Some even said they were cornered and thrashed.
Outside the ICU, Ahmed’s wife, Afsana Praveen, said she had known that he was on duty for the protests. “Usually I make it a point to call him every two hours though he gets angry. I was watching the television and asked my son to call him up. It was around 5pm. He said he was busy.”
Afsana then received a call around 7pm from a hospital in south Delhi but there was no clarity. “Shaheen Bagh area was packed with people and there was no way to go. Later an auto driver brought me to the hospital through interior lanes,” said Afsana. Ahmed and Afsana have six children — four girls and two boys.