New Delhi, Oct 15 An all-women delegation of Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) on Thursday met Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and urged him to raise the issue of alleged police brutality against protesters, including women, during the recent anti-CEC demonstrations.
The delegation apprised Gandhi of alleged assaults, illegal detention and denial of legal and medical assistance to protesters demonstrating against the alleged deletion of voters’ names, according to a statement issued by the organisation.
The KYS alleged that women protesters had been groped by male police personnel, dragged through streets, abused and sexually harassed while in custody. It also claimed that some women were arrested after 6 pm, in violation of Section 43(5) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The organisation said the alleged actions violated constitutional protections under Article 19 and provisions of the BNSS.
The delegation also raised concerns over what it described as the disenfranchisement of more than 13 crore voters across the country, alleging that marginalised communities and deprived sections of society were disproportionately affected.
The delegation urged Gandhi to take up the issue of citizens’ right to hold peaceful protests anywhere in the national capital and across the country.
The KYS said the right to protest should be treated as a cardinal principle of Indian democracy and called for efforts to deepen representative democracy by enabling citizens to participate in governance through peaceful demonstrations and other democratic means.
The delegation also submitted a memorandum to Gandhi, the statement said.
(PTI News)
