Rahul Gandhi vows legal action over alleged police assault on student protesters
New Delhi, Oct 16 (UNI) Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the Delhi Police of refusing to register an FIR over the alleged assault on student protesters, vowing that the Congress would pursue all available legal remedies to hold the officers accountable.
In a post on social media platform X, Rahul Gandhi alleged that two young women, Athira from Kerala and Ritu from Rajasthan, along with several others, had been beaten by the Delhi Police. He said he had spoken to Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra to coordinate the party's response to the alleged police action.
"A Zero FIR has already been registered in Kerala," Rahul Gandhi said, adding that the Congress would pursue legal remedies in Kerala, Rajasthan and the courts against the officers allegedly involved in the incident. "Brutality by Amit Shah's Delhi Police will not go unchecked," he declared, holding union Home Minister Amit Shah politically responsible for the functioning of the Delhi Police, which falls under the union Home Ministry. Drawing a parallel with India's freedom struggle, Rahul Gandhi invoked the Dharasana Salt Works raid of 1930, when unarmed satyagrahis were subjected to brutal police assaults during the civil disobedience movement against British rule.
Referring to Sarojini Naidu's leadership of the protesters, he said, "In 1930, at Dharasana, Sarojini Naidu led unarmed satyagrahis into police lathis. Not one of them raised a hand. The world watched." "Police can break bones. They cannot break a satyagraha," he said, portraying the students' protest as part of a wider struggle to defend democratic rights and the freedom to dissent. Emphasising the role of young people, particularly women, in standing up to authority, Rahul Gandhi described India's youth as "fearless, determined and united" and said they are fighting for democracy. "I stand with them," he added.
The Congress leader's statement signalled the party's intention to pursue the alleged assault through legal channels while intensifying its political confrontation with the Delhi Police and the union Home Ministry. The allegations have also renewed scrutiny of police conduct during demonstrations involving students and the handling of complaints of alleged excessive force. A Zero FIR can be registered at any police station irrespective of where the alleged offence took place. It can subsequently be transferred to the police station with the appropriate territorial jurisdiction for investigation. The registration of such a complaint does not, by itself, establish the allegations, and the investigation will be required to determine the circumstances of the incident and any individual responsibility.
The Congress has vowed to pursue the matter in the courts and through the relevant state authorities. The allegations against the police personnel will ultimately have to be assessed on the basis of evidence gathered during the investigation.
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