Two women journalists ‘assaulted’ by Delhi Police; cops refute claims

Press Freedom Clash in South Delhi: Two Reporters Allege Beating at Saket Station as Police Deny All Charges

Indiadailyupdate.com – A confrontation between two freelance women journalists and Delhi Police at the Saket police station in south Delhi has ignited a fresh debate over press access, VVIP security protocols, and the treatment of reporters in the capital. The incident, which unfolded on Thursday, saw the two women claim they were physically assaulted after being detained and brought into the station, while the police force issued a pointed rebuttal calling the allegations “factually incorrect” and “misleading.”

What the Journalists Say Happened

According to the two reporters, police teams stopped them while they were in the area and escorted them to the Saket police station. Once inside, they allege, the officers moved them into a separate room where a beating took place. In a video posted to social media later that day, one of the journalists recounted the sequence of events in detail.

“We wanted to question the Delhi Chief Minister. But we were detained, brought to the Saket Police Station. The police teams took us to a room, where they assaulted us brutally. They asked from which community we belonged; they thrashed us again.”

She added that she sustained injuries to both her leg and her arm, while her colleague suffered a wound to her leg. Several other clips that circulated widely on social media showed both women displaying marks and swelling on various parts of their bodies, lending visual weight to their account.

The journalists stated that after the incident they were heading to AIIMS in New Delhi for a medical examination, after which medico-legal case (MLC) reports would formally document the extent of their injuries. That step is significant because MLC documentation creates a medico-legal record that can be used in any subsequent complaint or court proceeding.

Police Version: A Scooter Blocked a VVIP Route

The Delhi Police narrative is markedly different. In a statement issued from the official social-media handle of Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal, the force explained that two women had parked a scooter near a venue along a designated VVIP route, effectively obstructing the corridor. Officers reportedly made repeated requests and gave explicit instructions for the women to remove the vehicle and clear the path. When compliance did not follow, the police said both women were taken to the local station “for further enquiry” in line with the security and safety protocols governing VVIP movements.

“The statement being circulated is factually incorrect and misleading. Two women had obstructed the designated VVIP route by parking their scooter near the venue.”

The same statement went further to dismiss the assault allegations outright:

“Claims suggesting otherwise, including allegations of assault for asking questions to the Hon’ble Chief Minister, are totally false, misleading and baseless. Citizens and social media users are advised to refrain from circulating unverified and misleading information.”

Political Fallout and Social-Media Reaction

The episode quickly drew political attention. AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn what he described as a brutal beating carried out by Delhi Police against two women reporters who were simply trying to put questions to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.

“Two women reporters have been very brutally beaten by Delhi Police for asking questions from CM Rekha Gupta. Shame on woman CM Rekha Gupta.”

The remark underscored a broader tension in Delhi’s political landscape: the Chief Minister’s office operates under heightened security arrangements, particularly during public programmes, and journalists who attempt to approach officials during such events often find themselves at the intersection of press rights and security perimeters. The question of where that line sits — and who enforces it — has become a recurring flashpoint in the capital’s media-police relations.

Why the Dispute Matters

Independent and freelance journalists in India already operate in a constrained environment, with limited institutional backing when they encounter friction with law-enforcement agencies. When two women reporters allege a physical assault inside a police station, the optics carry particular weight: the station is meant to be a place of protection, not of harm. The police, for their part, have a legitimate operational interest in keeping VVIP corridors clear, and the use of “further enquiry” language suggests they viewed the women’s non-compliance as a procedural matter rather than a criminal one.

What remains unresolved is the gap between the two accounts. The journalists describe a room, a beating, questions about community identity, and visible injuries. The police describe a scooter parked on a restricted route, repeated instructions ignored, and a routine escort to the station. Videos showing marks on the women’s bodies complicate the police narrative, while the absence of any independent witness account from inside the station leaves the core question unanswered.

The forthcoming MLC reports from AIIMS will be the first concrete piece of evidence that either side can point to. Until those documents are made public, the incident will continue to circulate in the form of competing claims — one set backed by viral video clips, the other by an official police statement — and the debate over how Delhi’s security apparatus interacts with the press will remain firmly in the public eye.