‘Asked our community, then thrashed us again’: Journalists 'assaulted' at Delhi's Saket police station, cops deny

NEW DELHI: Two women journalists and YouTubers alleged that they were detained and assaulted by Delhi Police personnel after attempting to question chief minister Rekha Gupta at an event in south Delhi on Thursday. Police denied the allegations, describing them as “factually incorrect” and “misleading”.According to the women, they had gone to cover the inauguration of a new wing at Max Hospital in Saket, attended by Union home minister Amit Shah and the Delhi chief minister. One of them alleged in a video circulated on social media that they were stopped while trying to question Gupta and taken to Saket police station.“We wanted to question the Delhi chief minister. But we were detained and brought to Saket Police Station. The police teams took us to a room, where they assaulted us brutally. They asked which community we belonged to and thrashed us again,” the journalist alleged.The women claimed they were taken to a room inside the police station, where they were assaulted and abused. They alleged that both sustained injuries during the incident. Videos showing the women displaying injury marks on different parts of their bodies were also circulated on social media, though the allegations could not be independently verified.Delhi Police rejected the accusations and gave a different account of the events, saying the women had obstructed a designated VVIP security route by parking their scooter near the venue.A senior police officer said the women were not carrying identity cards and were repeatedly asked to move their vehicle after being informed about the security arrangements. Police further alleged that they created a ruckus and manhandled a pregnant police officer.The women were subsequently taken to Saket police station for enquiry, police said, adding that they were free to leave within five to 10 minutes of reaching the station and were not restrained.“Nobody was holding their hands or preventing them from leaving, but they chose not to go,” an officer said.Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal described claims that the women were assaulted for attempting to question the chief minister as “totally false, misleading and baseless” and urged people not to circulate unverified information.Meanwhile, several journalists’ organisations condemned the alleged assault and demanded a free and fair investigation.The Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Delhi Union of Journalists, Press Association and Kerala Union of Working Journalists, in a joint statement, alleged that the two freelance journalists were manhandled near the venue before being taken to Saket police station and assaulted there.The organisations demanded action against those responsible and urged Delhi Police commissioner Anurag Kumar to order a fair probe. They also appealed to the Press Council of India to take suo motu cognisance of the matter.The Aam Aadmi Party also targeted the BJP-led Delhi government, with party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj alleging that the journalists were assaulted for asking questions of the chief minister.Delhi Police, however, maintained that the allegations were baseless and that the women were taken to the police station after they allegedly refused to comply with security instructions on the designated VVIP route.(With agency inputs)You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Delhi | Silver Rate in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Petrol Price in Delhi | Diesel Price in Delhi | CNG Price in Delhi | LPG Price in DelhiStay updated with the latest Delhi news. Download the TOI App.