Published Oct 14, 2026 | 2:39 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 14, 2026 | 2:47 PM
Flanked by the youngsters, Rahul Gandhi reiterated that there is only "one protest and one voice."
Synopsis: Rahul Gandhi addressed the press alongside NSUI leaders and youngsters who alleged police assault during the anti-CEC protests in Delhi. He claimed an NSUI worker from Kerala lost hearing in one ear. Other protesters recounted alleged beatings, while Gandhi vowed to use recorded evidence to ensure accountability.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, October 14, addressed the press along with NSUI leaders and other youth who were allegedly assaulted by the police during the protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Speaking to the media, Gandhi introduced the youngsters and claimed that one of them, Athira, an NSUI worker from Kerala and a student at Delhi University, lost hearing in one ear after she was brutally assaulted by the police during the protest on October 13.
“Athira from Kerala has lost her hearing in one ear. She is deaf in one ear because she was struck on that ear. She can no longer hear. Last time I showed you a boy who was blinded. Now, she is deaf in one ear,” Gandhi claimed.
Athira told reporters that there were no female constables when she and other women were detained during the protest.
“Yesterday, when they detained us, there were no female police officers on the bus. So, I simply asked, ‘Where is the lady police officer or lady constable?’ If they want to detain us, having at least one female constable present is mandatory,” she said.
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— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 14, 2026
She alleged that the bus carrying her and other detainees stopped outside the Connaught Place police station, where the police personnel brutally assaulted her and repeatedly struck her near the face, leading to injuries to her eye and one ear.
Athira alleged that she was repeatedly slapped, kicked on the chest and struck in her private parts by the police.
“When I begged them to stop, they kicked my private parts, my abdomen and back. I don’t know why they did that, they did not even consider me as a human,” she said.
Another NSUI leader who spoke at the press conference identified a woman constable, Chanchal Yadav, and accused her of assaulting her.
Introduced by Gandhi as “our sherni” (tigress), the NSUI leader alleged that the constable grabbed her by the neck, pushed her onto a seat, scratched her face and the area near her ear with her fingernails, and slapped her when she resisted.
Other youngsters who spoke at the press conference also recounted alleged police brutality.
One of them alleged that several police personnel beat him up and asked why “his leader Rahul Gandhi” was not there to save him. He further alleged that the personnel took out their frustration over the additional workload on the protesting youth.
Flanked by the youngsters, Rahul Gandhi reiterated that there is only “one protest and one voice.”
“As I said in my press conference, this is India. Amit Shah ji, take a good look at this. There is no Hindu here, no Muslim, no one of any specific caste; there is no woman, no man. There is one voice, one protest. It is the voice of India, and you are standing against this voice—the Prime Minister is standing against this voice. I suggest to you: do not stand against this voice,” he said.
“No one can stand against this voice. To the police personnel, I have told all the students to keep a video record and send that evidence to us. When this entire matter concludes, we will utilize all that evidence and ensure that everyone who needs to be punished is punished, from PM Narendra Modi, Gyanesh Kumar, Amit Shah, and even the constable who is raising a hand against our children….” Gandhi added.
Earlier in the day, in an unprecedented move, Gandhi expressed solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), hours after its leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were remanded to five days of judicial custody for entering Jantar Mantar and waving the Tricolour.
“Waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar in a peaceful protest is not a crime. Jailing youth for it is an act of cowardice. Students. Youth. Journalists. The INDIA bloc. Different banners, one cause. All protests are one: citizens demanding their constitutional rights. Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India. We will reclaim it,” the Congress leader wrote on X.
(Compiled by Fayisa CA)
