On October 10, Anna Oommen, a 28-year-old advocate in the Supreme Court, stood on a road outside the Supreme Court with dozens of lawyers, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
As they marched towards Mandi House, past heavy barricades, they were halted by the police near a gate of the Supreme Court. “By the third barricade, my hair was being pulled by a woman police officer,” Oommen told Scroll. “They pulled my neck and collar, my kurti was pulled. I was pushed with such force that I experienced difficulty in breathing and was left gasping for air for several minutes.”
Anne Mathew, another advocate who was part of the protest, saw Oommen struggle to breathe and ran to help her. But four to five female police personnel pushed both into a bus. “We were physically lifted, pushed and dragged into the bus,” Mathew said. “Anna was dealt with especially roughly.”
For about 30 minutes, they were confined in the stationary bus, with its windows shut. When the bus finally started moving, they were not told about where they were taken. Their requests for drinking water were denied.
“We usually tell detainees that they should know their rights – the police should give you a detention memo,...