New Delhi, October 9: Delhi Police have registered an FIR against unidentified persons following a complaint by a Kashmiri youth who was allegedly assaulted during an INDIA bloc protest in the Connaught Place area of the national capital on Thursday.
According to police sources, the complainant alleged that he was attacked after arriving at the protest site carrying a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raising slogans in his support. Police said all aspects of the incident would be investigated.
The youth, identified as Fahim Nazir, a resident of Srinagar, told reporters that he had not abused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and claimed that he was beaten by protesters.
“EVMs were brought by Rajiv Gandhi for the first time in 1998. You all have the footage. I did not abuse Rahul Gandhi, but I was beaten badly,” he said.
Nazir also said he had wanted to make people aware of what he described as a conspiracy to turn India into Nepal or Bangladesh. He maintained that people should be free to question political leaders.
“Questions should be asked of Rahul Gandhi. This is freedom of speech,” he said.
According to reports, the youth was allegedly surrounded and roughed up by a group of protesters after raising slogans in support of the Prime Minister. Some protesters, however, alleged that he had verbally abused Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
A video of the incident circulating on social media appears to show the man being surrounded, pushed, dragged and hit by people in the crowd. The allegations made by both sides are yet to be established through the police investigation.
The incident has triggered a political controversy, with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders condemning the alleged assault and questioning the opposition’s commitment to freedom of expression.
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari shared the video on social media and accused Congress workers of displaying what he described as an “anarchist mindset”. Another BJP spokesperson, Sajid Yousuf Shah, also criticised the incident and raised questions about the Congress’s position on dissent.
The alleged assault took place amid ongoing INDIA bloc protests against alleged discrepancies in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have also been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Delhi Police are investigating the complaint to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify those allegedly involved in the assault.
