Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Delhi Police of refusing to register an FIR over the alleged assault of student protesters and vowed to pursue legal action against the officers responsible.
In a post on X accompanying a video of his interaction with injured students, Gandhi said the Congress would not allow the “brutality by Amit Shah's Delhi Police” to go unchecked.
“Delhi Police is refusing to register an FIR on the assault of our students. Two young women, Athira from Kerala and Ritu from Rajasthan, along with many others, were beaten by Delhi Police,” he said.
Gandhi added that he had spoken to Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra, and that a Zero FIR had already been registered in Kerala.
“We will pursue every legal route against the officers responsible, in Kerala, in Rajasthan and in the courts. Brutality by Amit Shah's Delhi Police will not go unchecked,” he said.
Invoking the 1930 Dharasana Satyagraha, in which Sarojini Naidu led unarmed protesters against British police action, Gandhi said the students' resolve reflected the spirit of non-violent resistance.
“Police can break bones. They cannot break a satyagraha. India's youth, especially young women, are fearless, determined and united. They are standing up for our democracy, and I stand with them,” he said.
Gandhi met the students, including members of the Congress' student wing, the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), at his mother Sonia Gandhi's residence at 10 Janpath on Wednesday. The students were injured during recent protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In the video, Gandhi listens to the students recount their alleged treatment in police custody before calling Chennithala and Dotasra and urging them to pursue complaints against the personnel accused of assaulting the protesters. He said the action was intended to set an example and deter similar incidents.
The students alleged that police personnel beat them during detention, inflicted injuries, including to their private parts, and verbally abused them to punish them for participating in the protests. These allegations have not been independently verified.
After meeting the students, Gandhi had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to obstruct protesting students, calling them the voice of the country. He also promised action against those responsible, from the Prime Minister to police constables.
The allegations come amid a series of protests by student organisations and opposition parties against Kumar and the SIR exercise, with several demonstrators detained and taken to detention centres away from the city.
On Monday, opposition leaders, activists and civil society members held a 'March for Democracy' in the national capital and filed a joint petition in the Supreme Court challenging the SIR exercise and alleging electoral irregularities.
Gandhi also hosted INDIA bloc leaders for tea at his residence on Tuesday. Following the meeting, the opposition alliance vowed to continue its campaign against alleged “vote chori” and take the fight to its logical conclusion.
(With inputs from PTI)