New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP on Monday hit out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Police over alleged assault on two women journalists at the Saket Police Station in September this year.
Gandhi also posted a video of his interaction with the two journalists on his X account.
The Congress leader also accused the Delhi Police of manhandling women protesters and journalists during recent protests in the national capital. In the post on X, Gandhi alleged that hundreds of people were detained at Jantar Mantar and claimed that female protesters accused male police personnel of misbehaving with them. He further alleged that cameras were snatched from women journalists and that they were dragged by police personnel.
“Cameras were snatched from female journalists, and they were dragged around. Not even an FIR was filed on a journalist’s complaint,” Gandhi said.
The also referred to accounts shared by two women, Shaheen and Nafisa, who had earlier alleged violence and mistreatment inside the Saket police station. He also posted a video of his interaction with the two women journalists.
“Those entrusted with the responsibility of protecting women are now the ones posing a threat to them,” Gandhi said, questioning the conduct of the Delhi Police.
Gandhi demanded that the entire CCTV footage from the Saket police station be made public and called for immediate action against police officers allegedly involved in the incidents. He also sought justice for Shaheen, Nafisa and others who, he alleged, had faced violence and rude behaviour from the Delhi Police.
Taking aim at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gandhi asked, “Mr. Amit Shah-why are you and your police so afraid of women?” The allegations come amid heightened political and public scrutiny over the handling of protests in Delhi and the treatment of women protesters and journalists by security personnel.
In September this year, the two journalists alleged they were beaten by Delhi Police personnel in South Delhi’s Saket police station. The charges were refuted as “factually incorrect” and “misleading” by the police.
The journalists alleged that police teams detained them before taking them to the Saket police station, where they were assaulted.
“The statement being circulated is factually incorrect and misleading. Two women had obstructed the designated VVIP route by parking their scooter near the venue,” the police said, as quoted by PTI.
On Friday also, Gandhi had questioned Delhi Police over allegations of misconduct involving a female journalist at a protest near Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. In a post on X, Rahul said a female journalist had accused a police officer of misconduct and alleged that hundreds of journalists had been waiting for hours for an FIR to be registered. “Isn’t that the police’s basic duty? They haven’t even done that,” he had written.