Over 100 Injured in Police Lathicharge at NEET Protest Near Connaught Place
On Monday afternoon, a violent clash and police lathicharge during a "Sansad chalo" protest march near Connaught Place in Delhi left over 100 people injured. The protest, organized by the CJP to oppose NEET exam cancellations, saw clashes stretch from Sansad Marg to Gole Dak Khana near Connaught Place, as police used tear gas and lathis to disperse the crowd.
The injured, which included 90 protesters and 10 police officers, were rushed to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital. The influx of patients overwhelmed the hospital's emergency ward, forcing officials to stop taking in patients and divert others to Lady Hardinge Hospital.
Among those severely injured was Ravi, a 24-year-old e-rickshaw driver from Muzaffarnagar, who was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with severe head injuries and intracranial bleeding. His brother, Shyam, stated that a policeman hit Ravi on the head multiple times after police began firing tear gas and launching a lathicharge. Hospital staff reported that Ravi was unresponsive upon arrival with dropping vitals.
Three other protesters were also admitted to the ICU, including Akhlaq, who was trampled during the crowd surge after the lathicharge began on Ashoka Road.
According to RML Hospital officials, most of the injured patients were young and required stitches on their heads, wound-dressing, and tetanus injections. Several patients were moved to the hospital's "red zone" for CT scans, X-rays, and other tests, while some required immediate orthopedic surgeries.
Other protesters described the suddenness of the police action. Rishi Raj Singh, 21, from Rajasthan, received stitches on his head, while Vishal, 22, from Haryana, suffered a severely bruised leg at Jantar Mantar. Chanchal Bora, 35, who traveled from Uttarakhand to protest, suffered a badly bruised back from the lathicharge.
A police officer, who remained anonymous, was also admitted to the emergency ward after being hit in the head by a stone on Sansad Marg. Volunteers at the scene, including 22-year-old Anshul, helped transport more than 30 injured people to the hospital using private cars and ambulances.
