Allegations of assault during the detention of NSUI protesters in central Delhi have triggered a political response, after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi introduced student leader Ritu Barala at a press conference and described her as a woman who was not intimidated despite being beaten. Barala alleged that she was assaulted by police personnel after a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Connaught Place a day earlier.
According to the account reported by Live Hindustan, Barala is the national secretary of the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India. She said NSUI workers had gathered in Connaught Place for a peaceful protest before they were detained and taken away in buses. Barala alleged that two women protesters were placed in one bus along with 20 to 30 other NSUI workers, while a woman constable identified as Chanchal Yadav was also present.
Barala alleged that she and another protester attempted to get off the bus to continue the demonstration. She said the constable pressed her neck, pushed her backwards into a seat and scratched her face and the area near her ear with her fingernails. Barala further alleged that she was slapped after objecting, pulled by her hair and pushed to the floor. She also claimed that the constable pressed her neck again and rubbed her ear with a shoe.
The NSUI leader alleged that she was then taken to a police station and brought to room number 107. She claimed that five to seven women in civilian clothing entered the room and assaulted her with sticks and punches after the door was closed. Barala also alleged that the constable made comments about removing the protesters’ political influence before leaving the room.
At the press conference, Rahul Gandhi said he wanted to make a special introduction and called Barala a “lioness”. He asked whether she had felt fear or hatred during the alleged assault. Barala replied that she had not felt fear or hatred and said she had responded with what she described as love rather than fear.
Barala alleged that the treatment meted out to the protesters by Delhi Police was inhumane and compared it with the repression of poor people and workers during the colonial period. She also said that Rahul Gandhi had stood by the protesters like an elder brother and that they would continue to oppose what they described as injustice.
The allegations place police conduct during protest-related detention at the centre of the dispute. The report supplied for this story does not include a response from Delhi Police, details of a departmental inquiry, medical findings or any formal complaint arising from the alleged incidents. Those facts will be necessary to establish the official account and determine whether disciplinary or legal proceedings follow.
