New Delhi [India], October 14 (ANI): Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday warned that those responsible for allegedly assaulting protesters during demonstrations demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar would face consequences.
Addressing a press conference alongside NSUI activists who claimed they were beaten by Delhi Police during protests, Gandhi said, "As I said in my press conference, this is India. Amit Shah ji, take a good look at this. There is no Hindu here, no Muslim, no one of any specific caste; there is no woman, no man. There is one voice, one protest. It is the voice of India, and you are standing against this voice—the Prime Minister is standing against this voice. I suggest to you: do not stand against this voice. No one can stand against this voice."
Addressing police personnel, the Congress leader urged protestors to preserve evidence of the alleged incidents and share it with the party.
"To the police personnel, I have told all the students to keep a video record and send that evidence to us. When this entire matter concludes, we will utilize all that evidence and ensure that everyone who needs to be punished is punished, from PM Narendra Modi, Gyanesh Kumar, Amit Shah, and even the constable who is raising a hand against our children," he said.
During the press conference, Rahul Gandhi introduced a female protester as "our sherni" and said she had remained fearless despite allegedly being assaulted.
"She was beaten, but she was not afraid. There was no hatred in her heart," he said.
The woman alleged that she was assaulted by a woman constable while NSUI activists were being detained during the protest.
"Yesterday, all NSUI workers were protesting peacefully when we were detained in three buses. There were many of our colleagues, around 30-40 in each bus. In our bus, there were two girls and 20-30 other NSUI colleagues," she said.
Identifying the woman constable as Chanchal Yadav, the protester alleged that she was grabbed by the neck and pushed when the detainees attempted to get off the bus to continue their demonstration.
The protester alleged she was assaulted by a woman police constable. “Yesterday, all NSUI workers were protesting peacefully when we were detained in three buses. In our bus, there were two girls and 20-30 other NSUI colleagues. There was a woman constable in the bus named Chanchal Yadav,” she said.
“We tried to stop the bus and sat down beneath it so that our protest could somehow continue. But Chanchal Yadav grabbed me tightly by the neck and pushed me, causing me to fall backwards onto the seat. She then scratched my face with her nails, leaving scratches across my face and near my ear. When I resisted her, she slapped me so hard and said, ‘Here, take another slap across your face,’” she alleged.
Another protester alleged custodial assault. “I joined the protest on the 4th, and on the morning of the 5th, we were detained. Dharmendra and I were pushed into the Parliament Street police station, where 15 to 20 police personnel beat us. One or two of them were also in plain clothes. One of them was named Bahab Singh Tomar. They beat us very badly,” he said.
“An officer, Constable Ankit Kasana, kept beating both of us throughout the journey from Parliament Street to the outskirts of Delhi. When Dharmendra said he was feeling like vomiting, the officer told him to open his bag and vomit into it. The police personnel told us, ‘Because of you, we are unable to sleep,’” he alleged.
The press conference comes amid a political row over police action against demonstrators protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and demanding his removal, with opposition parties accusing the authorities of suppressing dissent.
On Wednesday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP of "authoritarianism" over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and restrictions on protests at Jantar Mantar.
"First vote theft, then 'theft of the right to protest'—this is proof of BJP's authoritarianism. Stop protecting Gyanesh Kumar!" Kharge wrote in a post on X.
He also alleged that young protesters were being detained and beaten, while accusing the authorities of allowing groups affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to act with impunity.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had criticised the judicial custody of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activists Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were remanded for five days, while Ajinkya Shinde was bound down for six months on a personal bond and surety of Rs 5,000 to maintain peace and good behaviour, according to Delhi Police.
"Waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar in a peaceful protest is not a crime. Jailing youth for it is an act of cowardice. Students. Youth. Journalists. The INDIA bloc. Different banners, one cause. All protests are one: citizens demanding their constitutional rights," Gandhi wrote on X.
"Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India. We will reclaim it," he added.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday heard a petition filed by an NSUI office-bearer seeking an independent probe into alleged assaults on protesters and members of the public during demonstrations on October 10.
Appearing for Delhi Police, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma questioned the maintainability of the petition, arguing that the petitioner had not disclosed his association with the Congress-affiliated student organisation as required under the Delhi High Court Public Interest Litigation Rules, 2010.
The court permitted the Delhi Police to file an affidavit raising preliminary objections to the petition's maintainability within three weeks. The matter is scheduled to be considered next on October 16. (ANI)
“One voice, the voice of India, don’t stand against it”: Rahul Gandhi tells Amit Shah, PM Modi as he backs NSUI protesters
