Hours after Delhi Police on Tuesday faced a virtual revolt from its rank and file as thousands of its personnel took to the streets and staged a demonstration outside the city police headquarters with loud chants of “Kiran Bedi lao, Delhi Police bachao”, the former IPS officer said, “Leadership is a ‘Character’ that takes responsibility and takes tough decisions.”

“When police men and women perform their duty fairly, firmly, fearlessly and responsibly, they need to be protected by their seniors. Never drive men and women in uniform to the wall and let them lose faith in their own service and own seniors,” she was quoted by NDTV as saying.

She took to Twitter and wrote, “Leadership is a ‘Character’ that takes responsibility and takes tough decisions. It is a ‘life’ of ‘doing’… Tough times go, Memories of Tough Acts Remain.”

Good #MorningNutrition

Leadership is a ‘Character’ that takes responsibility and takes tough decisions.
It is a ‘life’ of ‘doing’…
Tough times go, Memories of Tough Acts Remain.

— Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) November 6, 2019

In another tweet she said, “Rights and Responsibilities are two sides of the same coin. We as citizens must never forget this. Whoever and wherever we be. We need a major shift in our emphasis in this regard. When we all excercise our responsibility of being law abiding there is no conflict.”

As the junior officials drowned out seniors trying to placate them on Tuesday in an unprecedented moment of difference within the force, the protesters took out placards of the former IPS officer and wanted her back.

Reacting to the incident, on Tuesday she told PTI that she faced a similar situation in January 1988 when a lawyer arrested for theft in St. Stephen’s college was brought to the Tis Hazari court in handcuffs.

“But I remained firm and refused to budge to the demand of the lawyers seeking suspension/arrest of the cops responsible for hand cuffing the advocate,” she said, adding that the person did not identify himself as an advocate at the time of his arrest and also gave a different name to the police.
In the present incident too, the “Delhi Police should take a stand and be firm on it come what may”, she said.

Bedi, a former IPS officer of 1972 batch who retired in the rank of DGP, said during the 1988 police-lawyers clashes at Tis Hazari, wherein she was DCP (North) then, there were demands from the advocates associations for her suspension and arrest. But the then police commissioner Ved Marwah strongly supported her and rejected the demands, she said.

Kiran Bedi is also known as “Crane Bedi” for ordering the towing away of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s car from Delhi’s Connaught Place area in 1982.

The protesting personnel of Delhi Police continued their protest throughout the day and till late evening. The agitating policemen and policewomen, demanding justice in the wake of November 2 lawyers-police clashes at Delhi’s Tis Hazari court complex, were also joined by their family members.

They ended their nearly 11-hour-long protest on Tuesday after assurance by senior officers that their grievances will be addressed. Special commissioner of police (crime) Satish Golcha urged them to end stir and resume duty, while assuring them that a review petition will be filed against the Delhi High Court order in connection with the Tis Hazari court incident. He also said the injured policemen will get an ex-gratia of at least Rs 25,000 each.

At least 20 police personnel and several lawyers were injured and many vehicles were damaged in the incident. The lawyers alleged that the police fired at them.

The Delhi High Court on Sunday ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence by a team comprising a retired judge, Directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Intelligence Bureau and Vigilance.

Tuesday’s development made waves across the country with a slew of top serving and retired police officers and their organisations like the IPS Association expressing solidarity with colleagues subjected to “humiliation” and “assault”, even as they condemned attacks on them.