Flak for Delhi cops as ‘thrashing’ video viral

AAP: Is police private army of BJP-RSS

The Delhi police faced huge flak Monday after a video showing its personnel thrashing protesters and dragging female activists by their hair outside the RSS office in the Jhandewalan area went viral. The students, who were “peacefully” demonstrating Saturday against dalit student Rohith Vemula’s suicide when the incident took place, called the incident “barbaric”.

The 30-second video also evoked sharp criticism from a number of quarters, with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal saying the police was being used as the “private army” of the RSS and BJP as the ruling establishment was at “war” with students across India. AAP leader Sanjay Singh went a step further, alleging that BJP and RSS workers were also involved in assaulting students along with the police. The Congress termed it a “brutal assualt” by the police on a group of “unarmed protesters” and demanded strict action against the guilty policemen. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “Shocking attack on students. Instead of listening to them, now Modi govt is brutally beating them up for protesting against the RSS!”

Hitting back at the AAP, the RSS rejected allegations that some of its workers were involved in thrashing a group of student protesters along with the police. “No RSS worker was there at that time. If somebody feels there was some high-handedness, there is the option of an inquiry. The police must have done whatever they found appropriate,” RSS Delhi unit media in-charge Rajiv Tuli said.

The Delhi Commission for Women, taking suo motu cognisance, sent a notice to the Delhi police asking why no women personnel were deployed during the protest. “The video is extremely disturbing,” DCW chief Swati Maliwal said.

Besides a Delhi police constable dragging a woman by the hair, as is clear in the video clip, what has raised more serious questions for the Delhi police is some civilian men in action alongside the police beating the protesters.

Two journalists who were also beaten up claimed that the police action was “unprovoked” and that the protesters were beaten up mercilessly.

Delhi police commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi said he has directed senior officials to investigate. “As soon as I was informed about the video, I spoke to special commissioner (law and order) Deepak Mishra, who later asked joint commissioner (central range) S.K. Gautam to look into the matter,” Mr Bassi said, adding: “We will see if there was any indiscretion. We shall also talk to some eyewitnesses, apart from analysing the content of the video.”

Addressing a press conference, the AAP’s Sanjay Singh demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention in ensuring punishment for the erring police personnel. “This shows the cruel face of the Delhi police where even women protesters were assaulted. This has been happening in the national capital. During the (Delhi Assembly) election campaign, the PM had said he stays in Delhi and it is his home. So how can he then allow the attack on women by his police ”

Mr Kejriwal, now in Bengaluru for naturopathy treatment, tweeted: “Delhi Police being used by BJP/RSS as their private army to terrorize and teach lesson to anyone opposing BJP/RSS. I strongly condemn attack on students... FTII, Rohith case, Hyderabad University, IITs and now brutal attack on Delhi students. Modi govt seems to be at war with students all across.”

“This kind of police brutality on unarmed students is unacceptable. We strongly condemn it and the guilty policemen must be punished,” Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken said.

A senior police officer said officers would question the journalist who claimed he was assaulted by aggressive policemen, possibly because he was taking pictures at the back of the rally. The journalist, who wrote about what he had gone through on a news portal, said: “Male personnel manhandled female students, dragging and pushing them, scenes that I was about to capture with my camera. This was when the police attacked me.”