Protester alleges custodial assault, deletion of videos by Delhi Police

A person who claimed to have participated in protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has accused Delhi Police personnel of assaulting several detainees, forcibly accessing a mobile phone and deleting photographs and videos after protesters were picked up from Connaught Place.

The allegations surfaced in a video circulating on social media, in which the purported protester described incidents of alleged custodial violence, intimidation and denial of medical assistance. He also claimed that minors were among those detained and that police personnel had restricted access to the detainees.

The allegations could not be independently verified. Delhi Police had not responded to the charges despite repeated queries.

𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲

According to the protester, the incident began when a group of people intervened after allegedly witnessing male police personnel dragging a couple near Connaught Place.

He claimed that those who intervened were subsequently detained and taken to an isolated location where journalists and other civilians were not permitted.

"We were subsequently detained and taken to an isolated location, where media personnel and other civilians were not allowed," the man said in the video.

The protester alleged that the detainees were made to sit in rows while police personnel selectively demanded access to their mobile phones.

He claimed that the police questioned some detainees and attempted to examine the contents of their devices.

𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱

In one instance, the protester alleged, a police inspector compelled a detainee to disclose his mobile phone password.

The personnel then allegedly accessed the phone's gallery and deleted photographs and videos, including files stored in the recently deleted folder.

The protester claimed that the detainee was slapped repeatedly after initially refusing to cooperate with the demand for his password.

The allegation raises questions about the handling of digital material recorded during the demonstration, although there has been no independent confirmation that any photographs or videos were deleted.

The protester did not provide independently verifiable evidence in the account to establish the circumstances under which the phone was accessed.

𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗱

The man further alleged that several detainees were physically assaulted inside a police vehicle after being taken into custody.

According to his account, protesters were taken individually into a compartment of the vehicle, where police personnel allegedly slapped, kicked and thrashed them.

He claimed that some detainees were also kicked in their private parts.

The protester described the alleged assaults as occurring away from public view, after the detainees had been removed from the protest area.

He said the group was subsequently taken to a police station before being moved to another location, where their personal details were recorded.

The identity of the personnel allegedly involved and the precise locations where the assaults purportedly occurred could not be independently established.

𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝘀, 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿

The protester also alleged that four minors were present in one compartment of the police vehicle and appeared frightened by the circumstances.

He claimed that despite having recorded the detainees' details, police personnel did not attend to them for nearly two hours.

The man further alleged that a detainee who had suffered a fractured hand was denied immediate medical assistance despite repeated requests.

According to his account, police personnel initially refused to provide first aid but later offered assistance.

The nature of the injury, the circumstances in which it was sustained and whether the detainee subsequently received medical treatment could not be independently confirmed.

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗱

The protester additionally claimed that internet connectivity had been shut down, affecting the detainees' ability to communicate details of the alleged incidents to people outside.

He suggested that the restrictions had made it difficult to bring the alleged treatment of protesters to public attention.

The video has circulated amid protests in the national capital against the Chief Election Commissioner and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

However, the claims concerning custodial assault, forced access to mobile phones, deletion of digital material, detention of minors and denial of medical assistance remain unverified.

Delhi Police has not issued a response to the specific allegations despite multiple queries. No independent account from the authorities was available to establish the circumstances of the detentions or the treatment of those taken into custody.