March against Pedro Castillo: Ministry of the Interior confirms more than 20 police officers injured

Tuesday, April 5, was not only marked by the uncertainty generated by the social immobilization announced by the president Pedro Castillo, the marches against the government drew attention because of the violence recorded mainly in the historic center of Lima. Television cameras managed to capture the moments when various protesters turned the demonstration violent to the point of attacking the agents responsible for guarding the protest. Hours before the end of the day, the Ministry of the Interior reported that about 25 troops were injured.

The agents affected by the violence captured by the media belong to the Special Services Unit (USE) of the Peruvian National Police ( PNP). “The officers were quickly transferred to the Central Hospital of the PNP Luis N. Saenz located in Jesús María. Doctors reported the minor bruises caused by blunt objects such as stones, sticks and bottles” that were used by protesters in the vicinity of Abancay Avenue.

During the live broadcasts of various media, it was possible to observe that men and women with their faces covered intimidated the authority using the objects they found around them, including objects that were part of the public road. The NPP was trying to bring violent acts to Congress where President Pedro Castillo, his ministers and several congressmen held a meeting. However, the offices of the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Superior Court of Justice in Lima were affected.

RESPONSE FROM THE AUTHORITY

Interior Minister Alfonso Chávarry went to the hospital where the injured police officers had been taken. From there he condemned the violent acts that occurred during the mobilizations recorded in the capital. In this regard, he noted that the police will initiate appropriate investigations to identify demonstrators who used violence in order to arrest them and report them to the prosecutor's office. According to a statement published by the Ministry of the Interior, “the objective is that they receive an exemplary sanction in accordance with the rules in force”.

Over the past few hours, Minister Chávarry has been the target of several criticisms after minimizing recorded deaths during the previous days when the protest was not taking place in the capital. On several occasions, the head of the Interior sought to make it clear that the four deceased citizens did not succumb as a result of police intervention, but from the events recorded in the strike.

“When the wave of protests took place, there were protesters who protested peacefully in and around the city, the police handled it very wisely to avoid a social cost; however, there have been three deaths, not by the police, but two from traffic accidents and a child who fell into the river, and that the police rescued. We regret these deaths and my condolences to the relatives,” he said at the beginning.

Shortly thereafter, however, while trying to control the demonstrations outside Lima, Chávarry had a regrettable comment on the number of deaths. “There are four dead. One died because he could not be affiliated to a hospital, a child who falls on the bridge and two from a traffic accident that hit him by the same vehicles as the strike. There was nothing else, there are four of them,” he told the press.

During the April 5 demonstrations, an 18-year-old boy identified as Alexander Trujillo Nolasco reportedly died after receiving a tear gas shell to his head. This happened during clashes with the police in Huánuco.

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