New Delhi: Several women’s organisations, including the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) and ALIFA, on Saturday held a joint protest march towards the Delhi Police headquarters against alleged sexual violence and police brutality against women during recent protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Speaking to ANI, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Annie Raja said the protest against the alleged mistreatment of women was linked to the broader opposition to SIR and demands for the resignation of the CEC.
“We are into that protest because the vote chori is something in many ways; it is the biggest assault on women. So we are here; we were here every day protesting, demanding the cancellation of SIR and the resignation of CEC,” she said.
Alleging that women participating in the protests were being targeted to silence them and prevent them from occupying public spaces, Raja accused the Centre of using sexual assault as a weapon against women protesters.
“To silence us, to disappear the women of this country who are participating in the protest and occupying the public space, the fascist Amit Shah government or Modi government are using sexual assault as a weapon irrespective of age,” she said.
Raja alleged that women who had participated in the protests had been subjected to sexual assault and said the organisations would continue their demonstrations despite attempts to suppress them.
“Whatever may be your strategy to suppress us, oppress us, disappear us, the women of this country, we will come here, we will occupy the public space in hundred times more strength,” she said.
Demanding action against the police personnel allegedly responsible for the incidents, Raja said, “We want the officials, the police who are responsible for using sexual assault as a weapon to silence and disappear women of this country from participating in the SIR protests; we want action against them.”
She also demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that such actions by the police could not take place without his knowledge or orders.
“Amit Shah should resign because he is the Home Minister; without his knowledge and without his order, no police will dare to use sexual violence, sexual oppression and assaulting the women’s private parts as a weapon to prevent women from taking part in the protest,” she said.
During the interaction, Raja also referred to the presence of Ankita Bhandari’s parents at the protest.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police have registered multiple FIRs for alleged violations of prohibitory orders imposed in Connaught Place and other parts of New Delhi during protests on Friday, officials said on Saturday.
According to police officials, announcements were repeatedly made asking people not to assemble, but a crowd gathered around Connaught Place. Police said FIRs would be registered for violations of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and action would also be taken against repeat offenders.
The action follows a Tiranga rally held by protesters outside Central Park in Connaught Place on Friday amid heightened security.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers and supporters also gathered to hold a Tiranga rally, directing their protest against the Election Commission over alleged irregularities in the electoral process.
In a related development, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) activist Abhijeet Dipke, who was detained by Delhi Police ahead of the planned ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ rally in the national capital, was scheduled to be produced before the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) at Mandir Marg Police Station around 12 pm on Saturday, his legal counsel said.
In a post on social media platform X, advocate Ratna Singh said, “He will be produced before SEM Mandir Marg PS around 12 PM.”
Police placed Dipke under preventive detention at his residence in New Delhi on Friday, invoking prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS. CJP representatives alleged that he was taken to an undisclosed location without immediate access to his lawyers.
The detention came amid heightened security arrangements and restrictions on public gatherings in parts of the national capital following protests over the electoral revision process and demands for action against the Election Commission.
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