Jaipur: Lawyers, policemen clash leaves scores injured

Jaipur, March 6: About a dozen people, including advocates and

officers, were injured when clashes occurred between

and police outside the state assembly building during the ongoing budget session, officials said on Wednesday.

To draw attention to their demands, the lawyers broke security barricades put up by the police and marched towards the assembly building. Police resorted to baton charging and used tear gas to disperse agitators who hurled stones at policemen, officials said.

A senior police officer told IANS: "The lawyers had gathered at the Rajasthan High Court building in large groups. The court building is hardly half a kilometre from the assembly. We had put up some security barricades nearby as Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was presenting the budget in the assembly at the time."

The officer said that the lawyers broke the barricades twice, manhandling policemen in the process.

"Police baton-charged the lawyers when they did not stop and continued to march towards the assembly," said the officer.

"The lawyers then suddenly started pelting stones, leading to injuries to several policemen, including a deputy commissioner of police-rank officer. The police had to use tear gas to disperse the agitators," the officer said.

The clashes continued intermittently between lawyers and policemen for almost two hours.

At least half a dozen lawyers were injured.

A lawyer said: "They wanted to draw the attention of the state government towards long-pending demands of lawyers."

The demands included a residential project on subsidised rates for lawyers, allowance of Rs.2,000 per month for lawyers with less than five years of experience, allocation of Rs.10 crore to the Rajasthan Lawyers' Welfare Board and the constitution of a Lawyers' Welfare Act, he added.

IANS