New Delhi [India], October 4 (ANI): CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat on Sunday slammed the Delhi Police over their handling of a sexual harassment complaint lodged by female journalists, sharply criticising authorities for demanding video proof before registering an FIR.
Calling the police’s response a clear violation of the law, Karat expressed outrage as protests erupted outside the Parliament Street Police Station, where demonstrators gathered to demand immediate legal action.
Speaking to ANI regarding the police’s initial reluctance and demand for proof, Karat condemned the authorities, stating, “Now, when sexual harassment is happening with a journalist and Delhi Police is trying to save him and it is being asked to show the video. If you have the video, we will register an FIR. So what is the meaning of law? Leave the law, take the video and if someone is harassing you, show your video first. What kind of way is this? This is extremely wrong. Registering an FIR is a requirement of the law.”
The controversy began on October 3 during demonstrations staged in the national capital by the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and other groups protesting against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Several protesters, including AISA president Neha Bora alongside senior advocates Prashant Bhushan and Kapil Sibal, attempted to breach police barricades near Jantar Mantar. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Neha Yadav, protesters were warned to vacate the site as Section 163 of the BNSS was in force, and were subsequently detained upon refusing to comply.
Following the detentions, three women identifying themselves as journalists filed a complaint alleging that police officers manhandled and sexually harassed them during the law and order situation on October 3.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also accused the Delhi Police of misconduct at Jantar Mantar, alleging that a female journalist was subjected to misbehaviour by an officer. Holding the Union Home Ministry accountable for police conduct, Gandhi questioned, “Amit Shah ji, where are you? You have to answer for this.”
In a post on X, Gandhi stated that hundreds of journalists had been sitting at Jantar Mantar for hours demanding the registration of an FIR. He stated that women across Delhi and students were gripped by fear for their safety and staging satyagraha while the very force responsible for protecting women was raising hands against them, adding that hundreds were taken into custody with severe allegations of misconduct against women protesters.
Addressing the situation, DCP Yadav stated that the journalists’ complaints against police personnel have now been registered, medical examinations have been conducted, and the matter has been transferred to the Crime Branch, Kamla Market, for a “fair and impartial enquiry.” Delhi Police have also issued an appeal for anyone possessing relevant video footage to share it with investigators. (ANI)
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