Delhi Police accused of beating, assaulting detainees and denying them basic rights

Detainees’ accounts of beatings, assaults and excessive force used by Delhi police in recent days have raised concerns about post-arrest practices by law enforcement officials.

Police in the state capital on October 10, 11 and 12 detained thousands of protesters, including journalists, members of youth organizations and minors.

On Monday (October 12, 2026), there were further detentions when youth organisations, including Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Revolutionary Workers Party of India (RWPI) and Disha student organisation, staged a flash rally at Barakhamba Road protesting against the designation of the Jantar Mantar protest site. They were stopped by the police at Sansad Marg and detained.

Police personnel detain activists, students of various student organizations in the Connaught Place area, amid an ongoing demonstration by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar at Cannaught Place in New Delhi on October 11, 2026. | Photo credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

Physical, verbal abuse

“We were put in a prison van, beaten and taken to a remand prison. The protesting women were verbally abused and held by the neck by the police,” said RWPI member Vishal.

Another RWPI member, Nishu, said the police refused requests for water, even after the detainees passed out inside the police van. “One of our members fainted and another was dizzy after the police brutally detained us near Jantar Mantar. We screamed and shouted for water, but despite carrying several bottles of water, they did not give us water,” she said, also showing numerous bruises and marks on her hands, face and legs.

A pattern of violence

This pattern of police violence against detainees drew attention on October 10, when member Disha Aranya was held by the neck by two policewomen in one of the buses used for detainees swept off the streets after a rally at Raj Ghat.

The following day, October 11, she was again detained along with other Disha members from Connaught Place. This time, however, the police isolated her and allegedly beat her. Her fellow activists said they heard her screaming from a moving prison van.

“They beat us and stole our phones from our pockets. Then they isolated Aranya and she was forced to lie on the ground. A policewoman sat on top of her and choked her. Another policewoman elbowed her. We told her that she was having trouble breathing, but instead of listening to us, she threatened us to make a video of the members and film the police action on our phones,” Naureen said.

Aggression in an isolated police camp

Another group of detainees taken to Pandwalan Khurd claimed they were forced to sit in rows inside the van and surrender their phones before being beaten by the police.

Arjun Unnikrishan said he, along with other protesters, was taken by bus to an “isolated, closed police camp near the LIC building to cut off contact with the public and the media”.

“At the camp, we were made to sit in execution-style rows while the police aggressively confiscated mobile phones and deleted videos without regard for privacy. Despite the officer claiming to be an ASI or DCP, offering false assurances to ensure cooperation, the officers, including one identified as Mr. Arvind Kumar, assaulted us severely,” he said.

The prison van was described by detainees as a vehicle with seven to eight compartments, each holding about ten people. Four minors were also among those detained. “The police mercilessly slapped, punched and punched the first few groups of people in the faces and private parts in a confined space,” Mr Unnikrishnan said.

Systematic beating

One of the detainees was environmental journalist and author M. Rajshekhar, who witnessed attacks on other detainees, although he himself was not beaten. He said the group was taken to a community center in Pandwalan Khurd, adding that while the detainees were released late on Sunday (October 11) night, many had not received their phones back.

“The way these beatings took place inside the ‘controversy’ was quite systematic,” he explained. “The three policemen together beat the detainees for 30-45 seconds. The leaders were picked out of the group. Their phones were stolen, which later caused problems for many as they depended on their phones to get home after release,” Mr Rajshekhar said.

This story has been corrected for errors

Published – 12 October 2026 22:35 IST