Dubai: A pregnant journalist has accused Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi of grabbing her hand and pulling her during a protest march near the Supreme Court in New Delhi, alleging that his security personnel subsequently pushed her down the steps, leaving her injured.
The Congress has strongly denied the allegations, describing them as politically motivated propaganda, while the BJP has demanded answers over the incident.
Richa Parashar, a journalist with OneIndia who said she was three months pregnant, made the allegations in interviews from a hospital bed on Tuesday, a day after the incident during the opposition INDIA bloc’s march towards the Supreme Court.
Speaking to News18, Parashar alleged that Gandhi grabbed her hand when she extended her microphone towards him to record his comments.
“I was shocked. He came forward and he just held this part of my hand and he just pulled, he just pulled me, not pushed me, pulled me in this direction,” she said.
She claimed she repeatedly asked Gandhi not to push her, telling him that she was moving away.
Parashar alleged that Gandhi’s security personnel then pushed her, causing her to fall on the steps outside the Supreme Court.
She also claimed that Gandhi struck her cameraperson with his elbow, causing him to fall on top of her, followed by several others amid the crowd.
Journalist describes injuries
Parashar said she suffered pain in her neck and hands, twisted her ankle and injured her knees and lower leg. Her mobile phone was also damaged during the commotion.
She said she managed to protect her abdomen with her hands as she fell.
The journalist, who was in the first trimester of pregnancy, said she had not previously disclosed her condition publicly because she had yet to complete the relevant medical scan.
According to her account, doctors examined her and found no serious internal injuries.
Parashar also alleged that people accompanying Gandhi accused her of lying when she protested after the fall.
She said she urged other journalists to switch on their cameras and record what had happened.
Congress rejects allegations
The Congress has dismissed the allegations, questioning both the sequence of events and the circumstances surrounding Parashar’s hospital visit.
Congress leader Alka Lamba accused the BJP of attempting to manufacture political propaganda and questioned why the journalist reportedly visited hospital several hours after the incident.
Lamba also raised questions about reports that Parashar had undergone an X-ray despite being pregnant.
Congress leaders and supporters circulated footage of the commotion, arguing that it did not clearly establish that Gandhi had pushed the journalist.
NDTV reported that the available shaky footage did not conclusively show the alleged physical contact. Parashar, however, maintained that video recorded by her cameraperson supported her account.
BJP targets Rahul Gandhi
The BJP accused Gandhi of manhandling the journalist and criticised his public statements on women’s rights.
Party spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that Gandhi had physically confronted Parashar and that Congress workers failed to assist her after she fell.
BJP Delhi vice-president Rajesh Bhatia said the journalist’s sister contacted him on Monday evening seeking help after the incident.
He said party representatives subsequently visited Parashar at the hospital.
What was the protest about?
The controversy erupted during the INDIA bloc’s march towards the Supreme Court on Monday, October 12.
Opposition parties were protesting against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The opposition has alleged that the revision exercise could disenfranchise eligible voters, while the Election Commission has denied wrongdoing.
The allegations involving Gandhi have since triggered a political confrontation between the Congress and BJP, with the journalist maintaining her account and Congress disputing it.