Two YouTubers Allege Assault at Saket Police Station; Delhi Police Deny Claims
Two women YouTubers have alleged that they were assaulted by personnel inside the Saket police station on Thursday after being detained while covering an official event in the area. Delhi Police firmly denied the accusations, describing the claims as factually incorrect and misleading.
The two women had gone to report on the inauguration of a new wing at Max Hospital in Saket, an event attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. According to one of the women in a video circulated on social media, they intended to question the chief minister outside the venue when they were intercepted, detained, and transported to Saket police station. A lawyer representing the women has filed a formal complaint regarding the alleged assault.
Inside the facility, the women alleged, they were taken into a room, questioned about their community, abused, and physically assaulted by police personnel, resulting in injuries. Videos circulated across social media platforms showed the two women displaying injury marks on various parts of their bodies, though the claims could not be independently verified.
Delhi Police rejected the allegations, stating that the women had obstructed a designated VVIP security route by parking their scooter close to the hospital venue. A senior police officer said the women were not carrying identity cards and ignored repeated instructions to relocate their vehicle amidst security arrangements for the VIP convoy. Police further alleged that the women created a ruckus and manhandled a pregnant police officer before being taken to Saket police station for an enquiry.
Police officials maintained that the women were neither restrained nor detained for long, asserting they were permitted to depart within five to 10 minutes of arrival. Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal stated that allegations of assault over questioning the chief minister were totally false, misleading, and baseless, urging people not to share unverified claims.
The incident prompted condemnation from several media groups, 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. In a joint statement, the organisations claimed the freelance journalists were manhandled near the venue and assaulted inside the station. They urged Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar to order an impartial inquiry, sought punitive action against responsible officers including the station house officer, and called on the Press Council of India to take suo motu cognisance.
