Because we're Muslim: 2 women journalists allege assault by Delhi Police; cops deny

Two independent women journalists in New Delhi alleged that they were detained and assaulted by Delhi Police personnel inside a police station after they went to cover an event and sought to question Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. The journalists alleged that the police asked about their religion and assaulted them after learning that they were Muslims.The police, however, denied the allegations, terming them "factually incorrect" and "misleading", while videos of the journalists went viral on social media, drawing sharp criticism from opposition parties, including the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).Journalists Shaheen Khan and Nafisa Khan alleged that police personnel first detained them near the venue of inauguration of a new wing at Max Hospital in Saket before taking them to the Saket police station, where they were allegedly assaulted.Several videos of the journalists were widely circulated on social media, showing them displaying injury marks on different parts of their bodies. In one video, one of the journalists claimed they were repeatedly beaten with batons when they had gone to cover the inauguration by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. "We wanted to question the Delhi Chief Minister. But we were detained and brought to the Saket Police Station. The police teams took us to a room, where they assaulted us brutally," she alleged.She further alleged that police personnel asked them which community they belonged to and then assaulted them again. The journalist claimed she suffered injuries to her leg and arm, while her colleague sustained an injury to her leg. "I am telling them, my name is Khan. Khan is part of my name. I am Mohammad, I am a Muslim, and that is why today an officer of the Delhi Police beat us with sticks. They hit us with batons and slapped us repeatedly. The hatred that was directed at us today because of our Muslim identity. Delhi Police will have to account for it. You will have to answer," Shaheen was heard saying in a video.Another video showed Shaheen lying motionless on the floor, while a third showed Nafisa, who appeared to have an injured leg and was unable to walk, being carried away.Journalist Shaheen from 4PM news network today was reportedly targeted, roughed up, and treated with brutality by Delhi police officers while performing her professional duties on the ground. pic.twitter.com/eyZC0QdCMB— Shuja (@shuja_2006) September 3, 2026POLICE CALL ALLEGATIONS BASELESSThe Delhi Police, however, rejected the allegations of assault.According to the police, the two women had parked their scooter near the venue, obstructing a designated VVIP route. Police said they repeatedly asked the journalists to remove the vehicle and clear the route, but they refused to comply."In view of the security and safety protocol of the VVIP route, both women were taken to the local police station for further enquiry," the police said.In a statement, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal said the allegations that the journalists were assaulted for asking questions to the Chief Minister were "totally false, misleading and baseless"."Citizens and social media users are advised to refrain from circulating unverified and misleading information," he added.OPPOSITION SLAMS BJPThe allegations drew a sharp political response, with the opposition Congress and AAP targeting the BJP-led Delhi government.The Congress, sharing a video of Shaheen, said that asking questions had become a crime under the BJP government."Such treatment of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable, and strict action must be taken against the guilty policemen. However, the chances of that are slim, because—in the BJP government, asking questions has become a crime," the party said.The AAP also condemned the alleged incident, saying, "A female journalist was brutally beaten by the police under Home Minister Amit Shah simply because she was asking questions of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. In such a situation, the question is certainly valid: Will the voices of daughters always be suppressed in this manner in the Modi government?"AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, in a post on X, alleged that the two women journalists were "very brutally beaten" by Delhi Police for asking questions to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. "Shame on woman CM Rekha Gupta," Bharadwaj said.PRESS BODIES DEMAND ACTIONThe Press Club of India, the Indian Women’s Press Corps, Delhi Union of Journalists, Press Association and Kerala Union of Working Journalists issued a joint statement condemning the alleged assault and called upon Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar to order a "free and fair investigation".The press bodies alleged that the journalists were initially manhandled by police personnel at the spot before being taken to the police station."Upon reaching the police station, the SHO allegedly instructed police officials to take the two journalists to a room, where women officers also joined, and started beating Shaheen and Nafisa,” the organisations alleged.They also claimed that the journalists' religious identities were determined at the police station and that religion-specific abuses were allegedly directed at them.The organisations called for punitive action against the police officials involved, including the station house officer, if the allegations are established.The police have denied the allegations of assault, while videos showing the journalists displaying what appear to be injuries have continued to circulate widely on social media.- EndsPublished On: Sep 4, 2026 10:28 IST