A video purportedly showing a Mumbai Police officer in plain clothes forcibly dragging a woman during a student protest in the city's Dadar area has triggered a political controversy, with Opposition leaders accusing the police of misconduct while the force has defended the officer's actions. The footage, which has circulated widely on social media, appears to show the officer attempting to restrain protesters during the demonstration. In the video, the officer is seen grabbing a woman protester while trying to control the crowd, prompting allegations of inappropriate physical handling.
Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad shared the clip on X and questioned why a male police officer was physically restraining a woman instead of allowing female personnel to intervene. Calling the incident "unacceptable", she demanded disciplinary action against the officer and tagged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in her post. Responding to the allegations, Mumbai Police said the video was being interpreted without full context. According to the police, the officer was attempting to detain a male protester when the woman moved between them during the commotion. The police further stated that the officer was facing in the opposite direction when contact with the woman occurred. They added that senior officials had examined the footage and concluded that there was no misconduct on the officer's part.
However, the explanation has been challenged by Opposition leaders. NCP (Sharad Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar questioned why the officer continued to hold the woman even after allegedly realising that he was no longer restraining the intended protester. In a post on X, Pawar argued that the officer should have immediately withdrawn once he became aware that he had grabbed a woman. The video has intensified scrutiny of Mumbai Police's handling of recent demonstrations linked to the nationwide student movement demanding education reforms.
The controversy comes a day after another incident involving Mumbai Police drew criticism. On Thursday, the force suspended a police constable after a separate viral video allegedly showed him threatening detained protesters with implicating them in a narcotics case. Together, the two incidents have fuelled a broader political debate over police conduct during the ongoing protests, with Opposition parties demanding greater accountability while the police maintain that officers acted within the requirements of law and public order management.