- Delhi Police filed FIR against Congress leaders for alleged assault.
- Female police officers reported physical and verbal abuse during protest.
- Priyanka Gandhi also alleged mistreatment, showing her protest-related bruises.
The Delhi Police have filed an FIR against Congress leaders, including Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, for allegedly assaulting police personnel and obstructing their duty during the INDIA bloc protest on Wednesday. The police have said that they are examining the allegations and the role of those involved.
However, the woman faces disrespect standing on either side of the line. A woman constable has spoken about the assault on them, saying they didn't even have time to see a doctor, a day after Priyanka Gandhi shared her experience.
Speaking to news agency ANI, the woman constable said, "We don't have that much time to go to the doctor. We have daily duties, so there isn't much time... It feels bad, but what can we do? It is our duty. Even now, I am going on duty."
DCP Shrishti Pandey also shared her firsthand experience, saying she faced physical and verbal abuse. "It is a truly distressing state of affairs that I have witnessed firsthand. Women police officers and constables are being subjected to physical and verbal abuse. Offensive language and words I cannot even repeat here are being used in an attempt to demoralise them and target the police force. But as I said, whether male or female, our police personnel are fully deployed and steadfastly performing their duties. They are well aware of their boundaries and legal obligations; they remain motivated, and we will perform to the best of our abilities," she said.
Her remarks came a day after ACP Arshdeep Singh asserted that cops, including female staff, were also facing difficulties while performing their duties to maintain law and order.
"I would like to say this: a senior police officer once remarked that we, too, could have stayed safely at home; we were also raised by others with great hardship. My point is that protesters often forget—while they are students, we, including our female staff, are someone’s children or daughters too," he said.
Detailing the experience of female personnel, ACP Singhs said, "The level of disrespect shown here often involves dragging female staff into the fray. You may have recently seen instances where—amidst the protesters, including those with religious agendas or even drunkards—attempts were made to pull them in; they were pushed, manhandled, and even bitten."
Congress, on the other hand, has also alleged mistreatment of its leaders. Priyanka Gandhi and other women leaders lay flat on the road, clutching a copy of the Constitution, to resist detention but were forcibly removed and taken into police buses amid loud sloganeering by opposition members.
Priyanka also alleged that Delhi police personnel 'scratched her all over and threw protesters to the ground during the protest demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.