Delhi Police probe sexual harassment allegations as protests intensify over election chief

Three women journalists covering a political protest in New Delhi say police officers sexually harassed them while they documented the detention of demonstrators. The allegations emerged as Delhi Police held protesters for a second consecutive day near Jantar Mantar, a public gathering space in the capital, where crowds have been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a mass revision of voter rolls that removed millions of names from the electoral register.

On Friday, police detained more than 700 people at the site. Saturday brought another round of detentions as the demonstrations continued. In a video statement, one journalist alleged that an assistant commissioner of police groped her while she was filming the arrest of student activist Neha Bora. The Press Club of India responded with a statement expressing shock at the treatment of journalists and calling for swift action. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi publicly asked Home Minister Amit Shah to respond, noting that Delhi Police operate under his ministry's authority.

Delhi Police announced it had referred the complaints to its Crime Branch for investigation. The police statement, posted on social media, promised a fair and impartial inquiry. However, the department has not publicly addressed the specific allegations made by the journalists. Demonstrators and press representatives gathered outside Parliament Street police station demanding that a formal report be filed.

The harassment allegations surfaced amid a broader escalation of the movement against the election chief. The Cockroach Janta Party, the activist group leading the campaign, announced plans for a nationwide march to Delhi on October 10 if Kumar does not resign. Founder Abhijeet Dipke framed the effort as a fight to preserve democratic elections, invoking Mahatma Gandhi's legacy of nonviolent protest. Student groups called for a march from India Gate to Jantar Mantar on Sunday afternoon. Opposition parties planned their own demonstration at the Election Commission on Tuesday.

This movement has already shifted Indian politics once. In late July, after weeks of escalating street protests that began as online satire in May, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. A July 20 demonstration saw Delhi Police use batons to disperse crowds. The current phase of protests represents a return to the streets after months of organizing, with the movement's organizers signaling they intend to maintain pressure on the government until the election chief steps down.

The Election Commission has denied any wrongdoing regarding the voter-roll revision. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has not made any public statement in response to the resignation demands or the allegations of police misconduct.

Separately, in the northern city of Amritsar, Madhusudan "Mad" Sandhu, a makeup artist and LGBTQIA influencer with over 200,000 Instagram followers, was shot dead on Saturday evening by two unidentified men on a motorcycle. The attack occurred around 6 p.m. outside a car wash center on Loharka Road. Sandhu, who had been vocal about gender issues and LGBTQ rights and ran beauty salons and academies in the city, had regularly faced hostile rhetoric online after publicly discussing his sexuality. A social media post appearing shortly after the shooting claimed responsibility and accused him of "spoiling" Punjab. Police registered a case based on a statement from his family and said they had leads, but no arrests or confirmed motive has been announced.