8 months ago
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Two students hailing from Kerala person alleged that they were assaulted by policemen and locals adjacent the Red Fort, “coerced” to talk successful Hindi, and ridiculed for wearing lungi (coloured mundu, a communal attire successful the State).
Aswanth I.T. and Sudhin K., some studying astatine the Zakir Husain Delhi College, were reportedly accosted by a radical of miscreants connected Wednesday (September 24, 2025), accusing the duo of theft.
Mr. Sudhin, 18, told The Hindu that erstwhile the locals accused them of theft, his person approached a constabulary constable astatine the spot to inquire for help.
“Instead of helping us, helium slapped some of america aggregate times and made america beryllium connected our knees successful beforehand of each the people. He took my friend’s telephone and gave it to the locals. My friend’s telephone was an iPhone and helium tried to instrumentality backmost the telephone and run, but helium was beaten a batch and dragged to a constabulary booth,” said Mr. Sudhin, hailing from Kasargod successful northbound Kerala.
Mr. Sudhin was enactment successful a constabulary car and taken to the constabulary booth adjacent to the Red Fort. At the booth, they were “tortured” and told to judge the theft charge, and settee the lawsuit by paying ₹20,000, helium said.
“Another constabulary officer, an ASI [assistant sub-inspector], started hitting us. He removed our lungi and started hitting america and kicking america connected our look and backstage parts with his boots. We person been successful Delhi for a period and did not cognize Hindi precise well.” He said that erstwhile his person struggled to speak, the ASI kicked him saying “talk successful Hindi”, Mr. Sudhin said. “It is inactive hard for him to devour nutrient adjacent now.” He said the constabulary officers astatine the booth besides made amusive of them for wearing lungi.
After their seniors reached the booth later, they were fto spell by the police. “We took immoderate painkillers and slept that day. The adjacent time (Thursday), we went to the infirmary and took each the tests and contiguous (Friday), we went to the DCP north’s bureau and filed a complaint. We cognize the names of 2 of the constabulary officers and tin place the rest,” helium said.
Responding to the allegation of theft, Mr. Sudhin said, “This was our archetypal clip astatine the Red Fort area. We person ne'er been determination before.”
Expressing daze astatine the “custodial brutality”, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas successful a missive to Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha urged him to behaviour an “impartial high-level investigation”.
Hawkers’ complaint
However, DCP (north) Raja Banthia told The Hindu that a fewer hawkers had brought the 2 students to the constabulary station to settee a outgo issue. “Some hawkers them to the station aft allegedly thrashing them successful the market. Hawkers complained that these 2 persons had travel 5 to six days ago. They purchased apparel and paid ₹4,000 successful currency and showed them an online outgo of ₹10,000, which was not really made. When they visited the marketplace again connected September 24, the hawkers identified them, got into a quarrel and manhandled them,” said the DCP.
He added that the hawkers had fixed a ailment astatine the constabulary post. However, the substance was settled and some parties near the booth. “There was nary PCR telephone oregon ailment oregon immoderate practice to supervisory officers regarding this incidental by these 2 students. As acold arsenic the allegations of beating by constabulary unit areis concerned, thing has been substantiated till now. But we are enquiring into the matter,” Mr. Banthia said.
In his missive to the Delhi Police Commissioner, Mr. Brittas said that alternatively of extending extortion to these students, the policemen “colluded with the mob”. “The students were dragged, beaten with fibre lathis, stomped upon, stripped, and humiliated successful the astir degrading manner,” helium said. Their mobile phones were seized, their idiosyncratic dignity was violated, and they were coerced into mendacious confessions, the Rajya Sabha MP said.
When the students, who aren’t fluent successful Hindi, tried to explicate successful English they were abused, they were “coerced to talk successful Hindi”. “Even much outrageous,” Mr. Brittas said, was that “one of the students was targeted and ridiculed for wearing his accepted Kerala attire, the mundu. A elemental taste look was converted into grounds for criminalisation”.
“Such behaviour demonstrates a disturbing premix of taste prejudice and unconstitutional coercion,” helium added. He urged the Delhi Police Commissioner to behaviour an impartial high-level probe into the incident, ensuring that officers and others liable for the “barbaric assault” are identified and brought to justice.
