India Police Accused of Sexual Harassment of Journalists During Delhi Protests
Three Indian journalists have accused Delhi police of sexual harassment while covering demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The allegations came after police removed scores of young people in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar plaza, where the crowd was calling for a change in the voter‑roll revision process that critics say favours the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Photographs released on TikTok show officers dragging protestors, and the journalists claim some officers touched them in a way that violated basic professional norms. In a statement released by the Delhi Police’s New Delhi District, the force said the complaint had reached the crime branch for a “fair and impartial” investigation.
The protests are the third day in Delhi and Mumbai, with thousands standing in front of the Election Commission office and near Parliament. Opponents say the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, which has already purged 130 million names, is a politically motivated purge aimed at benefiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders have demanded that the police be held accountable for both the physical removal of protestors and the alleged harassment of journalists. “Women fear for their safety and the home ministry must answer for this,” Gandhi said during a press briefing.
Aahna Singh, a student activist from Jawaharlal Nehru University who was reportedly dragged by her hair by a policeman, told Reuters that the police resorted to “brutality.” Her testimony and that of the three journalists have added a new layer to an already tense political climate.
The police’s investigation remains in progress, while the Election Commission maintains that the voter‑roll revision is a technical exercise aimed at removing duplicate and ineligible entries. Meanwhile, protests continue outside the Commission’s headquarters, with demonstrators chanting for the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar.
