Womens Groups Protest Outside Delhi Police Headquarters Over Alleged Violence During Demonstrations

NEW DELHI — Several women’s organisations staged a demonstration outside the Delhi Police headquarters on Saturday, demanding accountability and action over alleged sexual and physical violence by police personnel during recent anti-CEC protests in the capital.

The march, which assembled near Gurudwara Bangla Sahib before moving toward the police headquarters, was organised by groups including the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), AIMSS, AIPWA, ALIFA, Collective, and SFI. Protesters sought to submit a formal memorandum concerning alleged gender-based violence during demonstrations that have taken place since July 20, with reported incidents intensifying from October 2 onward.

In a joint official statement shared on social media, the participating organisations asserted that photographs, videos, and personal testimonies document harassment and physical abuse directed at women, transgender, and non-binary demonstrators by law enforcement.

The protests follow prior allegations by three women journalists, who stated that police officers deployed at the demonstration site on October 3 inappropriately touched them while they were covering the events. In response to the accusations, Delhi Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivek Bhagat alleged that a woman journalist made casteist remarks against him. While no first information report (FIR) has been lodged against the accused officer, authorities have arrested a man from Haryana for allegedly circulating a fabricated video that purported to show the officer misbehaving with a journalist.

The legal and institutional ramifications of the police conduct drew notice from the highest judicial authority earlier in the week. According to PTI, the Supreme Court described the allegations raised by the woman journalist against the Delhi police officer as “very serious” during a hearing on October 15.

Political figures joining the demonstration condemned the authorities’ handling of the demonstrations. Communist Party of India leader Annie Raja alleged that women participating in the anti-CEC protests—led by the Cockroach Janta Party—were deliberately targeted to silence public dissent, accusing the central government of employing sexual violence as a tool of intimidation. Ms Raja demanded legal action against the responsible police personnel as well as the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.