The Delhi High Court in a midnight hearing on Wednesday ordered the Delhi Police to ensure safe passage of about 22 riot victims stuck in a “fairly small” hospital in northeast Delhi to a government hospital with better facilities. The court also ordered to ensure that the victims received immediate emergency treatment.

The hearing was held at 12.30 a.m. on Wednesday at the residence of Justice S. Muralidhar and was attended by Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police Alok Kumar and Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) Rajesh Deo.

The court took up the matter following a phone call by advocate Suroor Mander who explained how people grievously injured in the riots in northeast Delhi were unable to be moved from Al Hind Hospital in New Mustafabad, a “fairly small” hospital, to GTB Hospital, a better government hospital, for treatment. The advocate prayed for safe passage of ambulances to shift the injured from Al Hind Hospital.

During the hearing, Dr. Anwar of the Al Hind Hospital told the court over phone that there were two bodies and around 22 injured people at the hospital and they had been trying to seek police help since 4 p.m. on Tuesday without success.

“The court accordingly directs the Delhi Police to ensure such safe passage by deploying all the resources at its command and on the strength of this order and to ensure that apart from the safe passage, the injured victims receive immediate emergency treatment, if not at the GTB Hospital, then at the LNJP Hospital or Maulana Azad or any other government hospital,” the order said.

It also said that while the order was being dictated, DCP (East) Deepak Gupta managed to reach the Al Hindi Hospital and confirmed that the police was in the process of evacuating the injured to the nearest hospitals.

The court has asked a compliance report to be placed before it when the matter will be taken up at 2.15 p.m. on Wednesday.