New Delhi, Oct 9 (JKNS): Delhi Police have registered an FIR against unidentified persons following a complaint by a Kashmiri youth who alleged that he was assaulted during a protest by Congress leaders in the Connaught Place area of the national capital on Thursday.
The complainant, identified as Fahim Nazir, a resident of Srinagar, claimed that he was attacked after arriving at the protest site carrying a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raising slogans in his support, as per news agency JKNS.
Speaking to reporters, Nazir alleged that he was beaten despite not abusing Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
“I did not abuse Rahul Gandhi, but I was beaten badly,” he said, adding that the incident raised questions about freedom of speech.
He further claimed that he had taken the initiative to make people aware of what he described as a conspiracy to turn India into Nepal or Bangladesh.
However, some protesters alleged that Nazir had verbally abused Rahul Gandhi, an allegation he denied.
A video circulating on social media purportedly shows the youth being surrounded, pushed, dragged and repeatedly hit by people in the crowd.
Delhi Police sources said that all aspects of the incident would be investigated.
The alleged assault triggered a political backlash, with BJP leaders condemning the incident. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari shared the video on social media and accused Congress workers of displaying an “anarchist mindset”.
Another BJP spokesperson, Sajid Yousuf Shah, also criticised the alleged assault and questioned the Congress’s commitment to dissent and freedom of expression.
Meanwhile, Congress and other opposition parties have been holding protests over alleged discrepancies in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, with demonstrations also targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. (JKNS)