“BONES MAY BREAK, BUT RESISTANCE WILL STAND”: RAHUL GANDHI CHARGES DELHI POLICE WITH DENYING FIR OVER ALLEGED STUDENT ASSAULT
October 16, 2026
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 16, 2026: Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Delhi Police of refusing to register a First Information Report (FIR) over the alleged assault of student protesters during demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He vowed to pursue legal action against the officers allegedly responsible.
In a post on X, Gandhi said two young women, Athira from Kerala and Ritu from Rajasthan, along with other protesters, had allegedly been beaten by the police. He said he had spoken to Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra regarding the matter. According to Gandhi, a Zero FIR had already been registered in Kerala, and legal remedies would be pursued in Kerala, Rajasthan and the courts.
Gandhi also shared a video in which Athira described her alleged treatment in police custody. She claimed that officers repeatedly slapped her and kicked her in the stomach and lower body. She further alleged that a woman constable threatened to kill her if she did not surrender her phone. Another protester alleged that medical assistance was arranged only after a senior officer arrived, approximately three hours later, and claimed that security personnel had restrained and beaten protesters.
Targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the allegations against Delhi Police, Gandhi said the alleged brutality would not go unchecked. He invoked the historic Dharasana Salt Works Satyagraha of 1930, associated with Sarojini Naidu, when unarmed demonstrators faced colonial police violence without retaliating.
“Police can break bones. They cannot break a satyagraha,” Gandhi declared, presenting the protesters as determined young people standing up for democratic rights.
The allegations follow a series of complaints by student activists about the treatment of demonstrators detained during protests against the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. On Wednesday, Gandhi had met injured National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) protester Ritu Barala, who alleged that a woman police officer grabbed her by the neck, scratched her face and slapped her inside a detention vehicle.
Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activists have also alleged that protesters were assaulted in police custody. Nadia, president of the SFI’s Delhi unit, previously alleged that women police personnel pulled her hair, struck her hand and attempted to twist her finger while she was detained. Other activists have raised allegations of mistreatment and sexual humiliation during detention.
Gandhi has urged students to document their experiences and preserve evidence, arguing that such material could help establish accountability. His latest remarks intensify the political confrontation over the handling of student demonstrations in the capital, with the alleged assaults and the reported refusal to register an FIR becoming central to the opposition’s demands for legal action against the officers concerned.
