Nearly 38 km from Connaught Place, protesters detained during a demonstration were taken through multiple locations in southwest Delhi before being released from a community centre in Pandwala Khurd around 9.30pm, with lawyers alleging that minors were among those detained and that some protesters were assaulted. Delhi Police denied the allegations and said those held were provided food, water, first aid and transport assistance.
According to a report by the Times of India, the detainees were moved from the area around Rajiv Chowk to Chhawla and then to a community centre in Pandwala Khurd. Delhi High Court advocate Gaurav Jain said he travelled to the village after receiving an SOS from protesters who claimed that minors had been detained. He said the location had shifted from Kapashera to Chhawla before the detainees were taken to Pandwala Khurd.
Jain alleged that police initially stopped lawyers from entering the community centre. He said he called the police control room on 112 and contacted the Principal Magistrate of Juvenile Justice Board-7, requesting a status report from the station house officer regarding the detained minors. According to Jain, the lawyers eventually entered the premises in a police control room van.
A protester identified as Arjun said in a video message after his release that he had been detained while protesting at Connaught Place at around 3pm. He alleged that police detained people who tried to help a couple being taken into custody and that women constables were called later. The allegation was not independently established in the report.
Arjun further alleged that detainees were made to sit in rows near Rajiv Chowk and were asked to hand over their phones and passwords. He claimed an inspector attempted to access one detainee’s photo gallery and that the person was slapped after objecting. He also alleged that the protesters were placed in a police bus divided into seven or eight compartments by iron rods and that four minors were among those detained.
The detainee said the group reached Chhawla police station at about 6.53pm before being taken to the community centre. He alleged that some protesters were beaten during the journey and that one detainee later appeared to have injuries to his hand. Jain said the injured person was taken away in a van after he asked whether medical assistance had been provided.
Police rejected the allegations of violence at Pandwala Khurd as “completely baseless and false”. A senior officer said no protester had been beaten or physically assaulted by personnel at the site. Police also denied that mobile phones had been snatched or that any protester had been harassed.
The police said officers had arranged basic assistance for those detained or present at the location. It said food and drinking water were provided, while people with injuries received first aid. The force also said no woman or other protester was subjected to misbehaviour during the operation.
The incident highlights the practical consequences of moving detainees between police facilities and remote locations, particularly when lawyers or families are trying to establish where they have been taken. The police said buses were arranged after the release to take the protesters from Pandwala Khurd to nearby metro stations and bus stands so they could continue their journeys. The report did not provide details of any formal inquiry into the competing allegations.
