Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday slammed the Delhi Police over resorting to alleged violence against student protestors, opining that while the police could break bones, they could not break a ‘Satyagraha.’ He also vowed to opt for legal recourse against officers accused of unleashing assault on demonstrators protesting alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
The Congress leader shared a video of his interaction with students who claimed they had been injured during protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. He alleged that the Delhi Police was refusing to register a First Information Report (FIR) over the incident and said the Congress would explore all possible legal remedies.
Students who were allegedly assaulted by the cops during the protests
In a post uploaded on ‘X,’ he wrote, “The brutality by Amit Shah’s Delhi Police will not go unchecked,” while referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Rahul Gandhi meets state leaders
In the video, Gandhi was seen listening to the students recount their experiences and then made phone calls to Kerala’s Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (OCC) president Govind Singh Dotasra.
He pleaded with the leaders to pursue the registration of an FIR over the alleged treatment of the agitators by security personnel. Gandhi wrote on ‘X,’ “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 added that a zero FIR had already been registered in Kerala and said the Congress would explore legal avenues in Kerala, Rajasthan and the courts against the officers allegedly involved.
A meeting of Rahul Gandhi with protestors
However, the allegations remain unestablished in the account shared by Gandhi.
Students allege assault during agitation
Several students, who featured in the video, elaborated on what they called inhuman treatment by security personnel during the agitation. They alleged that the cops assaulted them, inflicting multiple injuries on them, and also hurled expletives at them. They added to the allegations, claiming that they were struck even in their private parts and that the treatment was aimed at punishing them for participating in the protests.
The Congress leader condemned the alleged conduct and expressed solidarity with the agitators, particularly the young women who said they had been injured.
Gandhi invokes historic Satyagraha
Drawing parallels with India’s freedom struggle, Gandhi referred to the 1930 Dharasana Satyagraha, during which Sarojini Naidu led unarmed protestors during a campaign against British rule.
Gandhi said, “In 1930, at Dharasana, Sarojini Naidu led unarmed satyagrahis into police lathis. Not one of them raised a hand. The world watched.”
He went on to say that young Indians, particularly women, were standing up for democracy and reiterated his support for their right to protest peacefully.