Two Journalists Accuse Delhi Police of Assault at Saket Police Station

Two women journalists from 4PM News Network accused Delhi Police of detaining and beating them with sticks inside the Saket police station on Thursday while they were reporting on an event attended by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The reporters, Shaheen Khan and Nafeesa Khan, said they were covering the inauguration of a new wing at a private hospital in Saket when police personnel took them into custody. According to the journalists, women police personnel slapped them and beat them with sticks inside the local police station. Following the incident, several videos purportedly showing injury marks on the limbs of both journalists circulated on social media.

Shaheen later posted a video on social media stating that Delhi Police punished them because they intended to question the Chief Minister and the Home Minister. She also accused the police personnel of acting vindictively against them due to their religious identity.

Delhi Police denied the assault allegations, calling them factually incorrect. Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal said the reporters had obstructed a designated VVIP route by parking their scooter near the venue and refused to relocate the vehicle despite repeated requests. Mittal stated that claims alleging an assault for attempting to ask questions were totally false, misleading, and baseless, maintaining that the journalists were only removed for blocking the security route.

Sanjay Sharma, Editor-in-Chief of 4PM News Network, questioned whether an issue involving parking warranted such violence. Sharma said the media organisation plans to take legal recourse against the six police constables involved and will demand their official suspension.

The incident prompted political criticism from Aam Aadmi Party Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj, who attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party on social media platform X, stating that the two reporters were brutally beaten for asking questions.

Several press organisations, including the Press Club of India, the Indian Women’s Press Corps, the Delhi Union of Journalists, the Press Association, and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists, urged Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar to order an investigation. The Press Club of India called for punitive action against the personnel concerned, including the Station House Officer, and asked the Press Council of India to take suo motu cognisance to launch an independent inquiry.