English
English
English
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, October 14, responded to what he described as the use of police force against protesters by bringing a flute artist to a press conference in Delhi. The symbolic gesture came amid allegations of police brutality during demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Gandhi introduced a flute artist named Samar, who played the devotional song Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye during the press conference. The performance offered a contrasting image to the allegations of baton use and physical assault raised by protesters.
Referring to the alleged use of force against demonstrators, Gandhi said, “Dande ka jawab dande se,” while using the flute performance to make a symbolic point about the protests and the treatment of those detained.
The Congress leader’s remarks came as Opposition parties continued to criticise police action against students and youth participating in demonstrations linked to the Election Commission controversy.
During the press conference, Samar alleged that he had been detained and assaulted by police personnel dressed in civilian clothes.
He claimed that he was detained on October 11 and alleged that members of the Bajrang Dal and the RSS had threatened peaceful protesters with sticks and stones before police detained them. He also alleged that phones were taken away and formatted.
Samar further claimed that at least 15 women were present and referred to an earlier incident on July 20 in which he alleged that a Rapid Action Force personnel struck him with a baton. These are allegations made by Samar and have not been independently established.
The press conference took place amid escalating protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR electoral roll revision.
The demonstrations have resulted in multiple detentions and accusations of excessive force by Delhi Police. Student groups, including the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), have also alleged that protesters were assaulted while in custody.
Rahul Gandhi has separately backed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were sent to five days of judicial custody following a protest at Jantar Mantar. Gandhi said that peacefully waving the Tricolour was not a crime and called for the right to protest to be respected.
The latest developments have placed police conduct, protest restrictions and electoral transparency at the centre of a growing political confrontation in the national capital.
