Delhi lawyers burn Kiran Bedi’s effigy

Bedi, who was DCP (North) at the time, had ordered a lathicharge on lawyers who were on strike.

A hurt caused almost 27 years ago seems to have united lawyers with affiliations to the BJP, RSS, AAP and the Congress, as they all protested against BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi at the Tis Hazari court complex on Thursday.

The All Delhi District Court Bar Association coordination committee called for the protest to oppose Bedi’s candidature, due to an incident that occurred in 1988. Bedi, who was DCP (North) at the time, had ordered a lathicharge on lawyers who were on strike.

Incendiary speeches denouncing Bedi as “dictatorial” and slogans of Murdabad rang through the complex’s central hall, as lawyers burned an effigy of Bedi after ceremonially pelting it with shoes. The constant drizzle did not hamper the protesters’ enthusiasm, even as it took several tries to set the effigy on fire.

Worryingly for the BJP, many of the lawyers shouting anti-Bedi slogans are BJP and RSS supporters. “We are not against the BJP, but we will not support Kiran Bedi,” Delhi Bar Council secretary Murari Tiwari said.

“We will hold a protest in Krishna Nagar and ask everyone to not vote for her,” Delhi High Court Bar Association president Rajiv Khosla said.

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