By IANS,
New Delhi : A part of the preparation work for the Jan 26 Republic Day parade was damaged Sunday when some protestors uprooted the wooden and metal frames and made bonfires at five places. They also vandalised police vehicles as well as those belonging to some protesters.
Thousands of protestors were gathered at India Gate Sunday as part of increasing protests over the Dec 16 brutal gangrape of a 23-year-old woman.
The protests, mostly by students, Sunday saw lumpen elements mingling with the crowd and uprooting the metal and wooden frames put up for the Republic Day parade.
The unruly elements uprooted around 200 metres of the thick wooden planks and the metal frames and made huge bonfires of the wood at around five places. This was seen by an IANS correspondent present at the site.
The metal and wooden frames had been fixed alongside Raj Path near the Amar Jawan Jyoti, the flame commemorating the immortal solider. Preparations for the parade had begun early this month.
The protestors also damaged a government car and several police vehicles parked near the area. Two motorcycles belonging to protestors also bore the brunt of the vandalism.
One car was turned upside down and its windows were smashed, while the wind-screen and windows of buses parked on the periphery were smashed.
As many as eight Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses hired by Delhi Police were damaged by the protestors. The buses were later parked near the Mandir Marg police station.