In pics: Police use tear gas, water cannons as gangrape protests intensify

Dec 22, 2012 16:12pm

Policewomen detain a demonstrator near the presidential palace during a protest rally in New Delhi.
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Police officers wield their batons against a demonstrator near the presidential palace during a protest rally in New Delhi.
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Police officers wield their batons against a demonstrator near the presidential palace during a protest rally in New Delhi.
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Demonstrators shout slogans and carry a placard while standing on lamp posts during a protest rally near the presidential palace in New Delhi.
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A demonstrator throws back a tear gas canister fired by fired by police near the presidential palace during a protest rally in New Delhi.
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Several rounds of teargas shells and water cannons were used as young students of St Thomas' Senior Secondary School were seeing demanding justice for the 23-year-old gangrape victim at the Raisina Hill.
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A woman holds up a sign during a protest at India Gate.
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Several protesters sit at India Gate.
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Protesters hold up posters and raise slogans at India Gate.
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The area around Raisina Hill has been cordoned off and police reinforcements, including a contingent of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been rushed to the Hill that divides the North and South Block, which houses the Prime Minister's Office.
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Women protesters alleged that policemen hit them with lathis and declared they will launch a sit-in in the area. Protests refused to disperse from the place. In this picture they take out a march at India Gate.
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On December 21 too, the capital witnessed several protests, including one in front of Rashtrapati Bhawan.
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The youngsters gathered at India Gate since morning to protest the brutal rape of a 23-year-old girl in Delhi.
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Former Army Chief Gen V K Singh (not in picture) lent support to the protesters when he joined them at the India Gate and blamed the systemic collapse for the brutal rape of the young girl in a moving bus.
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Repeated resort to firing of shells and water jets failed to dampen the spirit of several hundreds of young students, both girls and boys, as they tried to breach the police barricades to march towards towards Rashtrapati Bhavan for the second day protesting against the government and police "inaction".
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Some people were removed by police and detained as the situation threatened to go out of hand.
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A boy and a girl and a traffic policeman were injured in the melee when protesters threw stones, shoes and missiles in which police vehicles and buses were damaged.
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Tear gas shells and water failed to deter the protesters who refused to vacate the area that houses the North and South Blocks including the Prime Minister's office and turned the area into a virtual battleground.
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After a day-long battle with the police, hundreds of protesters resorted to a sit-in the area chanting slogans against the government and the police. They demanded stern measures to prevent incidents of rape and other crimes against women.
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Window panes of a police van were smashed. One of the girls broke the glass window of a bus with her hands.
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The police action came as 'negotiations' failed at the Raisina Hill leading to Rashtrapati Bhawan failed and the protesters, comprising largely young women and men, tried to breach the barricades to push towards the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
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The youths gathered at India Gate from early in the morning and marched through Rajpath towards Raisina Hill. They broke the security cordons erected on Rajpath and managed to reach near Raisina Hill where they were stopped.
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