New Delhi: Congress MP K.C. Venugopal on Wednesday alleged that police personnel brutally assaulted female students during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, after meeting the injured activists at Lady Hardinge Hospital in the national Capital.
Speaking to reporters after the visit, Venugopal said the students had participated in the demonstration peacefully and were raising slogans when police personnel took them away.
“This is a brutal attack on our girl students. Their only crime was that they came for this agitation peacefully and raised their slogans in front of the public. The police took them away at that very moment, without any woman police officer or constable being present there,” he said.
Venugopal further alleged that two female students were subsequently taken away by women constables and subjected to violence.
“Athira is saying that the brutal attack happened after the police asked whether they would come only if women police personnel were present. These words were uttered by the police, and the students were beaten up,” he claimed.
He added that Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi would meet the students and inform the country about the incident.
NSUI National President Vinod Jakhar said, “The situation is extremely serious. Such circumstances are emerging in the country that students are now being beaten and assaulted for raising their voices. Two of our women colleagues were brutally beaten and had to remain hospitalised throughout the night.”
Earlier, Indian Youth Congress (IYC) national in-charge Manish Sharma and National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) president Vinod Jakhar visited injured activists at Lady Hardinge Hospital on Tuesday following a protest against Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities.
The demonstration was organised by the NSUI at Rajiv Chowk Metro station, with protesters demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Several demonstrators, including Jakhar, were detained by police.
According to an IYC statement, Sharma, Jakhar and NSUI national in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar later met the injured activists and enquired about their health. The organisation alleged that police personnel had used excessive force against the protesters.
Jakhar described the incident as unfortunate, claiming that NSUI members had been demonstrating peacefully when police personnel targeted and assaulted them.
The IYC demanded an impartial investigation into the incident and appropriate action against anyone found responsible for the alleged use of unlawful force.
The incident comes amid protests in Delhi over alleged electoral irregularities and growing demands for accountability from the Election Commission.
The Delhi Police had not issued an immediate response to the allegations made by the Congress-affiliated youth organisations.
(IANAS)
