Chennai: The young men clad in khaki were ill equipped to deal with the angry mob that was well armed with petrol bombs in Nadukuppam located in the by-lanes off Avvai Shanmugam Salai.
Yards away from the Ice House police station, cops were trying to muster up their courage and cover up their excruciating pain when they were brought out injured from the curfew control terrain on Avvai Shanmugam Salai. Many had tears in their eyes while walking out with bleeding injuries.
Except for a handful of members of the striking force present in full riot gear, the rest of the cops were made to face the wrath of the mob with lathis.
“As soon as we arrived at the spot, a woman police Inspector pleaded for the helmets we were wearing. My peer from another publication, who rode pillion with me, generously handed his helmet over. Of course, he never got it back.
This was on the preparation and mobilisation scene. The protesters, who were standing on the culvert of the Buckingham Canal, had the advantage of being on slightly higher ground against the cops they were facing".
A field officer, who was facilitating the deployment from Kamarajar Salai nearly 25 m away from the curfew area, deployed a handful of women constables to scout for two-wheeler helmets from bikes parked across Kamarajar Salai and adjoining campuses before the gear replenishments from the City Police force could arrive.
The women cops came back with their hands full of helmets. The injured were seen murmuring as to how they were helpless against the mob, and blamed their superior officials for not giving them a free hand and materials. While the protesters upped their attack on cops, the men in khaki retaliated with a few tear gas shells lobbed at the mob. However, the mob kept up their petrol bomb attack at regular intervals.
The mob had also come prepared with vehicular helmets besides making shields using the name boards of shops picked up from the street. The mob also set fire to vehicles of the unsuspecting protesters besides media persons. But then this was a scene of battle.
