Indian police accused of sexual harassment against journalists at protest
Three female journalists in India have accused police officers of sexually harassing them during protests in the capital, New Delhi.
The allegations emerged on Saturday after police detained dozens of young demonstrators who were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Thousands of protesters gathered in New Delhi and Mumbai for a third consecutive day on Sunday, calling for Kumar to step down over a controversial exercise to revise the country’s voter registers.
Delhi Police said in a social media post that its New Delhi District had received the complaint and referred it to the Crime Branch for a “fair and impartial” investigation.
The Election Commission maintains that the voter-roll revision is aimed at removing duplicate and ineligible names. So far, about 130 million names have reportedly been removed from the electoral register.
Footage circulating online appears to show protesters being forcibly removed from the Jantar Mantar demonstration site in central Delhi.
The journalists allege that some police officers subjected them to inappropriate touching during the protests.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi condemned the alleged treatment, saying women were concerned about their safety and that the Home Ministry should provide answers.
Aahna Singh, an activist and student at Jawaharlal Nehru University, told Reuters that police officers pulled her by her hair during the demonstrations. She described the police response as “brutality.”
Protesters argue that the voter-roll changes could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Election Commission, however, insists the process is designed to clean up the electoral register by eliminating duplicate and ineligible entries.
The demonstrations have also attracted members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an influential group that originated as an online satirical movement.
The CJP claimed its first major political success in July when sustained protests over education reforms contributed to the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The group called for the latest demonstrations following a report by The Indian Express alleging that Kumar’s fellow election commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had formally raised objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period to decisions they claimed were made without their knowledge.
The reported disagreements were largely linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of India’s electoral rolls, a controversial process that began last year.
The Election Commission has defended its decision-making process, saying differences of opinion are normal and that all decisions were ultimately taken unanimously.
The revelations have nevertheless triggered widespread criticism, with opposition leaders stepping up calls for Kumar to resign.
Source: BBC
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