At least 12 journalists were detained by Delhi Police on Sunday, October 11, while covering protests in the national capital demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.
Several journalists alleged that police personnel manhandled them, pushed them into detention vehicles and obstructed their reporting despite being shown press identification cards. The detentions took place at multiple locations, including Connaught Place and near Ramakrishna Ashram Marg Metro station.
The journalists included reporters from Hindustan, The Indian Express and The Hindu, as well as journalists and photojournalists working for digital news platforms and a national news agency.
Journalists Allegedly Manhandled Despite Showing Press Cards
Ashish Singh, a 27-year-old reporter with the Hindi daily Hindustan, said police personnel pushed and injured him while he was covering a protest organised by the All India Students Association near Ramakrishna Ashram Marg around 2.30 pm.
Singh said he was recording police detentions when officers pushed him and struck him with what he described as a pointed object. He said he repeatedly identified himself as a journalist and showed his press card, but the officers did not listen.
“I turned and told them not once but many times that I’m a HT reporter and I was also wearing my ID card, which I showed them. But they didn’t listen to me,” he said, according to Hindustan Times.
Singh was forced onto a police bus along with another journalist. He said they remained inside for around 20 to 30 minutes before getting off near the Mandir Marg area.
“I was scared that the police would snatch our phones and delete all the media,” he said.
A photojournalist working for a national news agency also alleged that police pushed him into a vehicle while he was photographing the detentions. He said he hid his camera’s memory card because he feared officers would seize his equipment and delete the footage.
Three journalists from The Indian Express’s Hindi edition, identified as Shashwat, Siya and Vijay Kumar, were detained near Connaught Place despite displaying their press credentials. They were taken to Chhatrasal Stadium and released after around 45 minutes.
A journalist from The Hindu was also briefly detained after being pushed onto a police bus. She was released after identifying herself as a reporter.
Digital Journalists Also Report Police Action
According to The Hindu, Peek TV journalists Vedanta Agarwal and Sara Khan were allegedly dragged by police while covering the detention of protesters in Connaught Place.
Khan said they were documenting police action when a male police officer grabbed her by the neck and pushed her towards a woman security personnel.
“We were just trying to get in to show how they were brutally handling detainees,” she alleged.
Videos from the protests also showed journalist Shyam Meera Singh being manhandled and pushed into a detention bus while reporting on the demonstrations.
A senior Delhi Police official told The Hindu that some journalists may have been detained because they were working close to protesters and did not move away during detention operations.
“The reporters may have been detained due to confusion, as they worked very close to the protesters and did not back off while protesters were being detained,” the official said, advising journalists to maintain distance during such operations.
Delhi Police’s spokesperson declined to comment on the detentions, according to Hindustan Times.
Press Freedom Groups Condemn Detentions
The incidents prompted criticism from international press freedom organisations. Reporters Without Borders said at least 16 journalists were detained while covering demonstrations in Delhi, Ahmedabad and Pune on Saturday.
“Covering events of public interest is not a crime. It is their job. The police’s actions against the press are unacceptable,” the organisation said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists also urged Delhi Police to stop targeting journalists and honour the assurance given to the Supreme Court that media personnel would be allowed to perform their professional duties without obstruction.
During proceedings on Sunday, the Supreme Court recorded an assurance that journalists and other professionals would not be obstructed while carrying out their work.
CPI(M) MP John Brittas Alleges Assault
Communist Party of India (Marxist) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas also alleged that police personnel assaulted him during the protests. According to The Hindu, Brittas said he was picked up, beaten inside a vehicle and later abandoned by the roadside. He said he was receiving treatment at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.
Brittas described the incident as an attack on democratic freedoms and said he had written to the President of India, the Rajya Sabha Chairman and the Chief Justice of India, seeking intervention and accountability.
“The government cannot intimidate democracy into silence,” he said, arguing that dissent should be addressed through debate rather than force.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police maintained that some protesters were unwilling to cooperate with detention operations and that personnel had to use force to remove those who refused to move.
The protests continued amid demands for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and opposition to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The detentions have raised fresh concerns over the treatment of journalists covering demonstrations, particularly following the Supreme Court’s assurance that media personnel should be allowed to carry out their professional duties without obstruction.
