Protesters arrested after demonstrating outside Delhi’s Parliament Street police station have alleged physical assault, verbal abuse and custodial mistreatment, renewing demands for an FIR against Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivek Bhagat and an independent inquiry into the incident.
The allegations were raised at a press conference in Delhi on Friday by several of the protesters, who had been detained earlier in the week while seeking registration of a case against the police officer. The protesters were demanding action on a woman journalist’s complaint alleging harassment while she was covering a demonstration concerning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities in the special intensive revision of electoral rolls.
News Diggy founder Gajendra Singh Bharangar, who was among those detained, alleged that two students, identified as Dharmendra and Samarth, were told they were being taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital but were instead taken to Mandir Marg police station. He alleged that the students were beaten with belts and batons. These allegations have not been independently established in the report.
Mr. Bharangar also alleged that several protesters sent to Tihar Jail were questioned about their caste and religion, and that some inmates used abusive language against them. The protesters said they were planning to file a fresh complaint alleging harassment and assault by police personnel while they were in custody.
The allegations follow a Patiala House court order granting bail to all 17 accused on October 5 and seeking a report from Delhi Police on claims of custodial torture made by two protesters. Judicial Magistrate Animesh Kumar said that citizens have the right to protest peacefully, while also noting that assaulting police personnel on duty would be a serious matter.
The court also observed that the medico-legal examinations of the accused were not conducted immediately after the incident. The delay is significant because medical documentation can form part of the evidentiary record in complaints alleging custodial violence. The order, as reported, did not establish that the alleged assault took place.
Delhi Police had registered a case against the 17 protesters, alleging that they were part of an unlawful assembly, obstructed a public area, assaulted police personnel and caused damage to public property. The protesters have now demanded an FIR based on the woman journalist’s complaint, an impartial investigation into the alleged sexual harassment and an independent inquiry into the alleged custodial assault.
The next steps identified by the protesters are the filing of a fresh complaint and the submission of the report sought by the Patiala House court from Delhi Police.
