Constable injured during Sunday’s protest at India Gate dies

www.mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi, Dec 25, 2012: Delhi Police constable Subhash Tomar, who had suffered serious injuries when a protest against the gang-rape of a young medical student turned violent at India Gate on Sunday, died at a hospital in the capital this morning. 

Mr Tomar, 45, was found lying unconscious on Tilak Marg near India Gate on Sunday and was rushed to Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. He had since been on ventilator. It was initially reported that he had suffered a heart attack after being injured. But top police officials later denied these reports and alleged that Mr Tomar was beaten up by hooligans among the protesters.

The eight accused were on Monday charged with attempt to murder, rioting and destruction of public property among other sections of IPC.

However, following the death constable Subhash Chand Tomar, who was battling for his life at the RML Hospital in Delhi on Tuesday morning, the police decided to slap murder charges against the eight accused.

Those named in the FIR are Shankar Bisht, Nand, Shantanu, Kailash Joshi, Amit Joshi, Abhishek, Nafees Ahmad and Chaman, a member of AAP, the police said.

 

"We have lost a very brave policeman. We are sending the body for post-mortem so we know the specific reason for his death. We will provide all support to the family and help them," Taj Hassan, the Joint Commissioner of Central Zone, said today. Mr Tomar’s post-mortem is being conducted at Lady Hardinge Medical College hospital in Delhi today. He will be cremated at  Nighambodh Gat at 2.30pm. No eyewitness has so far come forwad to identify the alleged assailants.

Mr Tomar is survived by his wife and three children - two sons and a daughter. Speaking to NDTV, his family appealed to protesters to maintain calm. "Protesters should be peaceful. This should not happen to anyone else," said his wife Amrish Devi.  His elder son, Deepak, however complained that no leader came to see his father while he was struggling for his life in the hospital. "No leader came here to see him. Public is responsible for this. They beat him up badly. Can they give me my father back?" He had told NDTV yesterday that when he saw television reports of the violence at India Gate, he phoned his father on his cellphone. But someone else answered and said Mr Tomar had fallen to the ground and was being moved to hospital.

Mr Tomar, a graduate in arts, hailed from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. He joined the police force in 1987 and was currently posted in Karawal Nagar area of Delhi. He was among the security personnel called in for maintaining law and order at India Gate on Sunday during a protest against the brutal rape of Amanat (NOT her real name) in a moving bus in the heart of Delhi on December 16.

The protests against the rape began on Saturday as thousands of young people gathered at India Gate and marched towards Rashtrapati Bhavan demanding justice for the girl, who is currently battling for her life. On Sunday, however, the demonstrations turned violent with the police clashing repeatedly with students and others protesters.

The spontaneous movement led largely by students devolved into riots as thousands of protesters defied police orders and gathered there to demand stricter laws against rape and more safety for women in the capital.

The police used tear-gas and water-cannons repeatedly, partly because some miscreants in the crowd set a car and wooden benches on fire. The Delhi Police said 78 policemen were injured in stone-pelting by hooligans who had joined the protesters. Around 65 protesters were also injured.