Protesting Mahila Congress leaders 'manhandled' by policemen, allege Congress

The Mahila Congress leaders, who staged a protest against inflation outside BJP headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday, have alleged that they were "manhandled" by male police officers.

Delhi Police, however, has claimed that the party workers had staged the protest without permission and even tried damaging statues at the site.

Taking to Twitter, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Delhi police "broke protocols" by sending male police officers to the protest site and that, the Mahila Congress leaders were "manhandled." In a purported video, a policeman in uniform was seen pulling a female protester by her hand and pushing another protesting party worker.

"Delhi Police under Home Minister Amit Shah does not miss any opportunity to break rules, conventions and procedures laid out in the Police manual to intimidate and harass protesters raising their voice against the Modi government. They have broken all protocols by sending male officers to manhandle Mahila Congress workers protesting intolerable rise in prices of essential commodities," Ramesh wrote in a Tweet.

"They were only exercising their democratic right to agitate lawfully," he added. Responding to the allegations, a senior police officer said, "The Mahila Congress members did not have permission to protest at the site. Some of them also tried damaging some statues and restricted the police from discharging its duty." "Female personnel were also present at the spot," the officer added.

Several Mahila Congress workers gathered outside BJP HQ on Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg on Tuesday and raised slogans against the Centre. Mahila Congress working President Netta D'Souza alleged that the Centre has failed to control inflation and that the prices of basic vegetables and pulses are "skyrocketing".

"The prices of pulses, flour, oil, milk, tomatoes, chillies, ginger, and spices are skyrocketing but the government is busy in PR management. What is the use of such a government which cannot even provide bread for two times to its people?" D'Souza alleged.