Beaten by police, targeted for our surnames, allege women journalists

Two women journalists working with digital news platform 4PM News Network alleged on Thursday that they were assaulted and detained by the Delhi Police following an incident close to the venue of a program attended by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in South Delhi’s Saket.

Police denied the allegations, and said that the journalists were detained after they allegedly blocked the exit and parked their scooty on the VVIP movement route, and had an altercation with police personnel deployed there.

No case had been registered until late on Thursday evening. Senior officers were in touch with the two women, police said. The incident took place on Thursday morning when Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Gupta attended the inauguration of Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital in Saket.

The journalists, Shaheen Khan and Nafisa Khan, alleged they had gone to cover the event, but were stopped by police and taken to Saket police station. In a video released by 4 PM News Network, Shaheen alleged that they were physically assaulted and targeted by personnel at the police station because of their surname and their religion.

The video showed bruises and welts on the women’s bodies, which they alleged were the result of beating by police. The Congress posted the video on its X handle. Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj condemned the alleged assault on the journalists.

In a statement, the Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Delhi Union of Journalists, Press Association, and Kerala Union of Working Journalists “strongly condemn[ed] and call[ed] for punitive action against Delhi Police officials…for brutally assaulting [the two] freelance journalists”.

In an official statement, DCP (South) Anant Mittal described the allegations as “factually incorrect and misleading”. He said the “two women had obstructed the designated VVIP route by parking their scooty near the venue”, and had “refused to comply” with “repeated requests and instructions to remove the vehicle and clear the route”.

The statement said the women were “taken to the local police station for further enquiry”, but “allegations of assault for asking questions to the Hon’ble Chief Minister are totally false, misleading and baseless”.