Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Delhi Police of refusing to register an FIR over the alleged assault of students during Tuesday’s protest in the national capital demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He also vowed to pursue legal action against the officers responsible.
In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said two young women, Athira from Kerala and Ritu from Rajasthan, along with several others, had been beaten by Delhi Police. He said he had spoken to Kerala home minister Ramesh Chennithala and Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra over the matter.
“A Zero FIR has already been registered in Kerala. We will pursue every legal route against the officers responsible, in Kerala, in Rajasthan and in the courts,” Rahul said.
In the video shared by Rahul, Athira alleged: “They were slapping me again and again. At last, I begged them, ‘Please leave me.’ Then they started kicking my stomach, underbelly and backside. I was the only person in the basement. The lady constable threatened me, saying, ‘If you don’t give your phone to me, then I will kill you.’”
Rahul also targeted Union home minister Amit Shah over the alleged police brutality, saying it “will not go unchecked”.
Recalling the 1930 Dharasana Salt Works satyagraha, when Sarojini Naidu led unarmed protesters against colonial police, Rahul said the demonstrators had refused to retaliate despite being beaten.
“Police can break bones. They cannot break a satyagraha,” he wrote.
“India's youth, especially young women, are fearless, determined and united. They are standing up for our democracy, and I stand with them,” his X post said.
Another protester in the video alleged: “First aid arrangements were made only after the senior officer arrived there. That is after three hours. These special forces guys pulled me by my neck, pinned me down, and then they detained me. They beat us mercilessly for 15-20 minutes. We were kicked.”
The latest allegations come days after other accounts of alleged police violence against student protesters during demonstrations against the Election Commission and chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi.
On Wednesday, Rahul had stood alongside an injured National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) protester, Ritu Barala, whom he described as a “sherni”, and heard her account of the alleged assault inside a police detention bus.
The woman said a female constable had grabbed her by the neck, scratched her face and slapped her after NSUI workers were detained during a protest. She identified the constable as Chanchal Yadav and alleged that the officer pushed her backward onto a seat before striking her.
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Rahul had urged students to document their experiences during detention, saying the evidence could help secure justice for those who had been assaulted.
Earlier, Nadia, president of the Students' Federation of India’s (SFI) Delhi unit, had also alleged that women police personnel assaulted her inside a detention vehicle. She said an officer hit her hand, pulled her hair, and tried to twist her finger while other personnel attempted to stop a fellow protester from recording the incident.
SFI members had separately alleged that protesters were beaten inside detention buses during the demonstrations. They also alleged that women protesters were subjected to sexual humiliation in custody.