Pulled through crowd, abused: Delhi Police says some protesters appeared drunk

The Delhi Police released a video alleging that women personnel were abused and pulled through crowds during Saturday's protest, while claiming some protesters appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. The police said women officers also faced indecent behaviour and reiterated that respect between police and demonstrators should be mutual. In a video released by the Delhi Police, IPS officer Neha Yadav, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (PRO), claimed that women police personnel faced misbehaviour and physical abuse at several points during the protestDelhi,Oct 6, 2026 17:08 ISTThe Delhi Police has released a video message amid allegations that female journalists were sexually harassed by cops during street protests in the national capital on Saturday demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying that respect between the police and protesters should be mutual. The controversy erupted as Delhi Police detained scores of protesters.In a video released by the Delhi Police, IPS officer Neha Yadav, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (PRO), said a large number of women personnel had been deployed at the protest site, with clear instructions that women protesters should be handled only by women police officers.Yadav said videos circulating on Instagram and YouTube showed that male police officers were not touching women protesters during the recent demonstrations.“Despite this, what our female staff has had to endure is something that should not be ignored,” Yadav said, as the video she was presenting showed images of women police officers caught on the wrong side of the scuffle during the street protests demanding the removal of Gyanesh Kumar. Yadav went on to claim that women police personnel faced misbehaviour and physical abuse at several points during the protest. According to her, some journalists had also captured incidents in which women constables were allegedly pulled through the crowd and misbehaved with.Yadav further claimed that some women police personnel reported that certain protesters appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. She alleged that some protesters tried to pull at the clothes of women police officers and behaved indecently with them.The Delhi Police said its personnel were deployed to maintain law and order during the protest and reiterated that respect should be mutual between police officers and demonstrators.Meanwhile, amid allegations of excesses by security personnel during protests, Delhi Police has issued body-worn cameras to officers and personnel deployed on the frontline across the New Delhi area, an official source told news agency PTI.The cameras have been given to officers posted across New Delhi, especially those involved in crowd management and security arrangements around protest sites and on roads leading to the Election Commission of India office, the source further told PTI.A police source said the bodycams would help maintain a real-time video record of events and interactions between police personnel and protesters. The recordings could also serve as evidence if allegations are made against officers on duty.“The bodycams are important, particularly when officers are dealing with large crowds, and there are allegations from either side. The recordings can help establish what happened during a protest,” the official source told PTI.The move comes amid heightened security in the New Delhi, Central Delhi and North Delhi districts following a series of demonstrations against the Election Commission over the SIR exercise. Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in large numbers, while multilayer barricades have been put up at several points to stop protesters from entering restricted areas.The deployment of bodycams has assumed significance following complaints of alleged sexual harassment and manhandling made by three women journalists during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar on October 2.With security tightened across key parts of the capital, Delhi Police has brought in body-worn cameras for frontline personnel as it handles protests, crowd control and access restrictions around sensitive locations.- Ends