New Delhi [India], October 4 : Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday accused Delhi Police of misconduct at Jantar Mantar, alleging that a female journalist was subjected to misbehaviour by a police officer.
Holding the Home Ministry accountable for the actions of the Police, Gandhi questioned the Home Minister, stating, "Amit Shah ji, where are you? You have to answer for this."
In a post on X, Gandhi said that hundreds of journalists had been sitting at Jantar Mantar for hours demanding registration of an FIR.
"A female journalist has accused a police officer of misconduct at Jantar Mantar. For hours, hundreds of journalists have been sitting there with just one demand: that an FIR be registered. Isn't that the police's basic duty? They haven't even done that," Gandhi wrote.
He further alleged that hundreds of people were taken into custody at Jantar Mantar on Saturday and there were allegations of misconduct with women protesters.
"Today itself, hundreds of people were taken into custody at Jantar Mantar. There are allegations of misconduct with women protesters. Cameras were snatched, journalists were dragged. And this isn't the first time — we've seen video evidence before of police officers engaging in disgusting misconduct with women," he said.
Gandhi said women across Delhi and students were gripped by fear for their safety and were staging satyagraha, while the police responsible for protecting women were raising hands against them.
"Women across Delhi, students, are gripped by fear for their safety, staging satyagraha — but the very police responsible for protecting women are raising hands against them. And a government that fears registering even one woman's complaint — what exactly is it protecting?" he added.
Questioning the Union Home Ministry, Gandhi said, "Delhi Police comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Amit Shah ji, where are you? You have to answer for this."
https://x.com/RahulGandhi/status/2106429343945937382
Earlier, Delhi Police on Saturday detained several members of the All India Students' Association (AISA) during a protest near Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, as demonstrations over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls continued in the national capital.
Several protesters, including AISA president Neha Bora and senior advocates Prashant Bhushan and Kapil Sibal, attempted to breach police barricades near Jantar Mantar and move forward.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police have registered at least three FIRs in connection with the mass protest held near Jantar Mantar on October 2. Two FIRs were registered at Parliament Street (Sansad Marg) Police Station and one at Connaught Place Police Station.
The controversy followed a report in The Indian Express saying Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally raised objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months over decisions on electoral rolls, voter registration, and the Commission's technology systems.
The Election Commission, however, rejected the suggestion that the reported objections amounted to institutional dissent over final decisions. The poll panel said that operational queries, inputs and suggestions raised during the draft stage were part of its standard administrative and decision-making process. ECI stated that the decisions regarding the schedule of the SIR exercise were unanimous.