Congress files complaint against Delhi Police over 'manhandling' its members

Congress has filed a complaint with Delhi Police against its personnel for "trespassing" into its headquarters on Akbar Road on Wednesday and "manhandling and attacking" party workers "without provocation".

A delegation of senior leaders, including Avinash Pande, Harish Choudhary, Pranav Jha and Challa Vamshi Chand Reddy met senior officials on Wednesday and handed over a "detailed complaint" and highlighting the "brazen and illegal actions" of police at Congress office, a charge denied by the police.

According to the complaint, senior leaders, including two sitting Chief Ministers, held a press conference at the Congress office at 9 AM, which was conducted "peacefully and in a civil manner".

Also Read: 'BJP's nationalism imported': Congress slams Centre over ED summons to Rahul Gandhi

However, Reddy said in his complaint, "armed officials" of the Delhi police stormed into the headquarters and "brutally attacked and without provocation, manhandling and attacking" workers. Journalists were also present and there is footage of this "heinous and outrightly illegal act".

"There was no prior notice given, no provocation which merited this act of police excess and no discernible reason" to enter the premises of a national party and for "no understandable reason". The complaint alleged that the police “misbehaved and brutally" attacked workers.

It also said the Congress has been peacefully protesting against the ED and alleged that even on those occasions, the Delhi Police personnel behaved in an "appalling manner, detaining men and women late into the night and refusing to give cogent reasons for such detention".

The party also claimed that there is footage of a Constable kicking Youth Congress president BV Srinivas.

Congress demanded that action be taken against police personnel and wanted Sections 441 (criminal trespass), 351 (assault) and 503 (criminal intimidation) among others.

However, on Wednesday itself, Delhi Police rejected the charges of forcibly entering the Congress office and beating up workers as "totally false".

Even as Congress shared video clips on social media, police said, "we tried to stop them and close the gates of the AICC (All India Congress Committee) headquarters in order to prevent a procession from being taken out. In this process, there might have been some scrimmage, but the police did not try to enter the AICC headquarters and they had no reason to do so either."