Videos and eyewitness accounts from Connaught Place and the Civic Centre have triggered allegations that police acted aggressively against CJP protesters while right-wing groups were allowed greater freedom to confront them.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi: Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed, metro stations were shut, internet services were suspended in parts of the capital, and students and political activists were detained as Delhi Police moved to prevent the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) from holding its October 10 protest. Yet, amid this unprecedented security clampdown, groups of men allegedly associated with right-wing organisations brutally assaulted protesters, including women, and threatened journalists in parts of central Delhi.
The incidents near Connaught Place and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s Civic Centre have raised serious questions about the enforcement of prohibitory orders and whether the police applied the same standards to supporters of the ruling establishment and those protesting against it.
According to a viral videos anda report by Hindustan Times, men identifying themselves with the Bajrang Dal threatened journalists near Palika Bazaar in Connaught Place, while another group allegedly associated with the Hindustan Raksha Dal attacked protesters near the Civic Centre. Shockingly, the assaults took place in the presence of police personnel.
The allegations have intensified criticism of the Delhi Police’s handling of the protests, with opposition leaders accusing the authorities of cracking down on students and dissenters while failing to prevent attacks by right-wing groups.
Women Protesters Dragged, Beaten
One of the most disturbing incidents was reported near the MCD Civic Centre, where a confrontation between protesters and a group of men allegedly escalated into violence.
A video circulating on social media showed a young woman being dragged and beaten by two men before another woman, identified in the footage as her sister, intervened. The victim alleged that the police had witnessed the incident without immediately coming to her rescue.
Hindustan Times, which reported the assault, said it had not independently verified the video. Senior Delhi Police officers, however, told the newspaper that personnel had rescued the woman, assisted her and removed the men from the spot. At the time of the report, no first information report (FIR) had been registered against the alleged attackers.
Another video purportedly showed a protester being attacked by men using brass knuckles, with the victim’s T-shirt torn during the assault.
“लड़की के मुंह से खून निकल आया… उसके पेट पर लातें मारीं, वो बिलख-बिलख कर रो रही थी, फिर भी नहीं छोड़ा! और सामने खड़ी पुलिस कहती है, ‘हमारे आगे तो कुछ हुआ ही नहीं’…”
“जो मार रहे हैं उन्हें पुलिस कुछ नहीं कह रही, और जो पिट रहा है उसे ही डिटेन किया जा रहा है!”
जंतर-मंतर और कनॉट प्लेस के पास CJP प्रोटेस्ट के दौरान आखिर क्या हुआ? देखिए चश्मदीदों के रोंगटे खड़े कर देने वाले दावे…
— Jansatta (@Jansatta) October 10, 2026
The reported attacks also raise concerns about the safety of students who had joined the protest to oppose the Election Commission’s voter-list revision exercise and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
A 21-year-old media student from Shahdara said he and two friends had been targeted by both police personnel and men he described as right-wing activists.
The student alleged that the group had entered the protest area repeatedly, threatened them and assaulted one of his friends on the head. The three eventually left the area out of fear.
The student also claimed that the men had threatened them while they were recording videos of the events. His account adds to concerns about the safety of journalists, student reporters and ordinary citizens documenting police action and political violence.
READ: 12 Killed, 300 Injured in Deadly Missile Attack on Riyadh Airport
Bajrang Dal-Linked Men Threaten Journalists
The reported intimidation extended to journalists covering the protest.
According to repors, a group of more than 30 men gathered near Palika Bazaar at around 2.30 pm on Saturday. Some identified themselves as Bajrang Dal members and accused journalists of publishing false reports about the CJP demonstration.
One man reportedly shouted that the group would protect the Delhi Police because the police could not use weapons against the protesters.
The police subsequently chased the men away, and some were detained about half an hour later, the newspaper reported.
The episode highlights a troubling contradiction: journalists covering a protest were allegedly threatened by a group claiming to defend the police, even as the police were conducting mass detentions of those participating in the demonstration.
The allegations also raise questions about whether individuals who assembled in violation of prohibitory restrictions faced the same immediate response as protesters attempting to reach Jantar Mantar.
बजरंग दल कार्यकर्ता का कहना है की हम 300 रुपय मे लड़की लाते है और सारी रात अपने पास रखते है
ये प्रोटेस्ट करने वाली लड़कियां भी वही है,ये देश की बेटियों के लिए बजरंग दल के शब्द है https://t.co/eFFvkopkLT
— Neha Bora ᵖᵃʳᵒᵈʸ (@Neha_Boraa) October 10, 2026
Warning Signs Before the Violence
The possibility of confrontations with right-wing groups had been raised before the protest.
On October 8, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka alleged that fringe right-wing groups were being mobilised from different parts of the country to attack demonstrators. He insisted that the CJP’s protest would remain peaceful and declared that his organisation would not initiate violence.
The allegation preceded the reported assaults on October 10, although it does not independently establish who organised the groups involved or whether any coordinated plan existed.
The sequence nevertheless raises questions about the role of the police. If the authorities had credible information that rival groups might confront demonstrators, their responsibility was to prevent assaults, protect journalists and students, and ensure that restrictions were applied impartially.
Delhi’s October 10 crackdown will therefore be judged not only by the number of protesters detained or the scale of the security deployment, but also by whether those accused of attacking students, women and journalists are held accountable.
A government can restrict a demonstration on public-order grounds, subject to the law. It cannot allow the right to protest to depend on political allegiance. The same law must protect the protester, the journalist and the police officer—and hold anyone who commits violence accountable.
Minor girls are reportedly being harassed in Delhi, and this is absolutely unacceptable.
When Section 144 is in force and police personnel are present, who gives anyone the right to intimidate people or engage in hooliganism?
The law must apply equally to everyone, regardless of their political affiliations or influence. It is the police’s duty to protect citizens, ensure women’s safety, and maintain law and order not allow anyone to act above the law.
Those responsible for harassment and creating a disturbance must face appropriate legal action. No one should be allowed to threaten the safety and dignity of girls or disturb public peace with impunity.
#DelhiPolice #WomensSafety #RuleOfLaw #delhijantarmantar
— Kitty K (@findkitty7) October 10, 2026
