Woman journalist alleging sexual assault by Delhi Police personnel among 17 detained
New Delhi: In a major development, a woman journalist who formally accused Delhi Police personnel of sexual assault was taken into custody on Monday morning alongside 16 other protesters outside the Parliament Street Police Station. The group, which included journalists, independent media workers and digital content creators, had spent the night outside the station demanding the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) and immediate action against the accused officers.
The demonstration was organised to seek updates regarding complaints submitted by three female journalists. The complainants alleged that police officers sexually assaulted them on October 3 while they were covering a public demonstration near Jantar Mantar directed against the Chief Election Commissioner.
Eyewitnesses reported that police officers systematically rounded up the demonstrators, loaded them into a police bus and transferred them to the Delhi Cantt Police Station. The detained woman journalist explained that the complainants had gathered outside the station strictly to meet senior officers and ascertain the status of the investigation into their complaints.
Police cite restrictions as protesters demand accountability
All India Students' Association (AISA) president Neha Bora confirmed that media personnel demonstrating against the alleged sexual misconduct, including the complainant woman journalist, were taken into custody.
Addressing the police action, a senior official stated that prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) remain enforced throughout the New Delhi district. Authorities said that Parliament Street is not an authorised protest venue and unapproved public assemblies are prohibited. Police said that those detained were held at a police facility and would be released later.
On Sunday, Delhi Police acknowledged receiving three separate complaints from female journalists alleging sexual assault by officers during the October 3 protest. Officials confirmed that all three files have been transferred to the Crime Branch, which is actively verifying the facts and analysing CCTV footage from the protest location.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Neha Yadav stated that officials had repeatedly warned the gathering about the active Section 163 restrictions, which ban unauthorised assemblies of five or more people. She maintained that law enforcement intervened only after demonstrators refused to disperse. Yadav added that following their detention, three women identifying themselves as journalists filed further complaints alleging physical manhandling, after which medical examinations were conducted and reports forwarded to the Crime Branch.
The detentions follow a broader crackdown on Saturday, when over 150 people, including AISA president Neha Bora, activist Yogendra Yadav and senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, were detained for attempting to reassemble at Jantar Mantar.