AISA alleges Delhi police personnel sexually assaulted 2 women students during protest
Allegations were rejected by the police as 'totally baseless'
New Delhi, Oct 13: Various civil society groups on Wednesday protested outside the Delhi Police headquarters here against the alleged sexual assault of two women students by police personnel during a recent protest, prompting the force to set up a panel to probe the claims.
The Left-affiliated All India Students' Association (AISA) had on Tuesday alleged that two women students were sexually assaulted by Delhi Police personnel while they were protesting outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah's residence here on October 10.
The allegations were rejected by the police as totally baseless .
One of the protesters, who was allegedly assaulted, said they had demonstrated outside Shah's residence on Sunday over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.
I was one of the two protesters assaulted that day. Police manhandled and abused us. We demand strict action against those involved in the incident, she said.
On Wednesday, around 60 activists gathered outside the police headquarters at Ashoka Road and raised slogans against the force. They demanded that the Chanakyapuri ACP be sacked for allegedly instructing police personnel to assault women protesters.
Members of AISA were detained on Sunday as they staged the protest near Shah's residence demanding the expulsion of MoS Ajay Mishra over the October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which Mishra's son is accused of mowing down four farmers with his vehicle.
The protesters were immediately detained and forcibly removed by the Delhi Police, the AISA said in a statement, adding that the women protesters were targeted separately.
Kavita Krishnan, national secretary, All India Progressive Women's Association said they have met senior police officials and the police assured them of a vigilance inquiry.
Today, several women organisations came here to protest the assault that took place to some protesters who were protesting outside the home minister's house demanding the sacking of Ajay Mishra. Two women students were assaulted by the Delhi police personnel and we are very angry about this.
We met Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Jaspal Singh and Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Deepak Yadav, and they have told us that they are going to order a vigilance inquiry which will be given to the vigilance department, Krishnan said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Deepak Yadav confirmed that the allegations will be probed.
Meanwhile, the protesters raised slogans and demanded action against the personnel involved in the alleged assault. They also carried placards demanding suspend ACP Pragya Anand .
N Sai Balaji, national president, AISA said, We have some demands regarding the way the police behaved with the agitators during the detention while they were protesting near Shah's residence. First, the Delhi Police should acknowledge this atrocity instead of denying it. They should also take action against those who were involved in the incident.
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Surat LS candidate Nilesh Kumbhani whose nomination form was rejected suspended from Congress
Ahmedabad, Apr 25: The Gujarat Congress on Friday suspended from the party for six years its Surat Lok Sabha candidate Nilesh Kumbhani, whose nomination form was rejected over discrepancies leading to the BJP's Mukesh Dalal getting elected unopposed.
A statement from the Congress said the party's disciplinary committee decided to suspend Kumbhani after thorough discussion, adding it had come to the conclusion that the nomination form was rejected due to gross negligence on his part or "in connivance with the BJP".
"To be fair to you we have given time to you to explain your case but instead of coming before the party disciplinary committee you have gone incommunicado. After your form was rejected by the authorities, BJP went ahead and got form of other eight candidates withdrawn. This has deprived people of Surat their voting rights," the Congress disciplinary committee headed by Balu Patel said.
"People of Surat and party workers have become very angry due to your action and are expressing their anger in different ways. The Congress party has decided to suspend you for six years from the party," the press note said.
Kumbhani's nomination form was rejected on April 21 after his three proposers submitted affidavits to the district returning officer claiming the signatures on the document was not theirs.
The nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress' substitute candidate from Surat, was also invalidated on the same grounds.
In his order, Returning Officer Sourabh Pardhi said the three nomination forms submitted by Kumbhani and Padsala were rejected after prima facie discrepancy was found in the signatures of the proposers and they did not appear to be genuine.
Kumbhani, a former corporator from Surat, had unsuccessfully fought the 2022 Assembly polls from Kamrej there.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's Mukesh Dalal was elected unopposed from Surat Lok Sabha constituency on April 22 after all other nominees, including one from BSP, withdrew from the fray one by one on the last day of withdrawing papers.
