‘Delhi resembled a war zone… No Congress member was carrying arms… Police pounced on us, pushing, pulling and dragging’

Delhi Police, anti-riot force, Rapid Action Force and the CRPF were deployed in the area adjoining the AICC headquarters and ED office. Most roads leading to the ED office were barricaded and prohibitory orders under CrPC Section 144 were imposed. The AICC office was virtually under siege with police prohibiting even senior Congress leaders from accessing the compound. In spite of all this, some of us did manage to enter the AICC premises.

Congress leaders including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, veteran leader Oommen Chandy, MPs including K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Randeep Surjewala, P Chidambaram and many others wanted to walk with Rahul Gandhi to the ED office. But they ended up being manhandled by the police. The leaders and supporters of the Congress who were demonstrating peacefully in solidarity with Rahul Gandhi were brutally beaten up by the police. They were taken into police custody by force.

On Monday, leaders were detained at the Tughlak Road police station till 11:30 pm. On Tuesday morning, we assembled once again at the AICC headquarters to accompany Rahul Gandhi to extend our solidarity since the case is nothing but a political vendetta by the BJP. No Congress member was carrying arms. As we stepped out of the AICC premises, a storm hit us. Police officers pounced on us, pushing, pulling and dragging us.

Several Congress women workers including me were dragged along the road by male police officers for about 500 yards and beaten. We were lifted and thrown into the police van as if we were garbage. We were lifted and thrown into the police van as if we were garbage. I screamed that we are women but the police did not pay heed. We were taken to the Vasant Kunj South police station and forced to stay there till 10:00 pm.

On Wednesday morning, it was a repeat of the previous day. When women leaders walked out of AICC, police unleashed brute force on us. Once again we were attacked by the police, dragged along the ground and then dumped into the bus and physically assaulted. The police personnel inside the bus had removed their name badges to hide their identity. It was a planned attack on the women karyakartas of the Congress party engaging in peaceful demonstration against the high handed approach of central government agencies.

One of our office bearers complained of chest pain and fell unconscious after being beaten by the police. As the bus started moving, All India Mahila Congress President Netta D’souza and all of us pleaded that she be taken to hospital. But our requests fell on deaf ears. After several rounds of begging for help and even a Facebook live, they agreed to stop at a hospital. Others were taken to the Shahdara police station.

Our pleas for water were refused and the police even stopped roadside vendors from giving us water. Leaders and workers were detained in police custody for hours. Forget about the privileges of being Members of Parliament and legislative assemblies, we, peacefully demonstrating women workers of the principal opposition party of our country, were not even treated humanely. This is a sheer violation of human rights, especially the dignity of women. Many of us were taken to the police stations at the Haryana and UP state borders. We were denied food, water and medical facilities. The way the Modi government has handled this peaceful democratic gathering is clear evidence of the BJP’s political agenda: It is using central agencies to wreak vengeance on its political opponents.

The case filed by the ED against Rahul Gandhi is a classic example of the BJP’s strategy to silence its opponents. The government can’t lower our morale with these measures, of course; in fact, it would only fan the flame within us. As citizens of this country and faithful members of a great political party, we will stand up and fight injustice. We will employ all possible democratic and peaceful measures to fight for our constitutional rights.

This is not the first time that the BJP has held office at the Centre. But this time, the Modi-led BJP government is unreservedly resorting to undemocratic means to annihilate their political opponents thereby posing a threat to the basic democratic values that our nation upholds. Their tactics exposes the hypocrisy of this government, which boasts of being the protector of the great Indian tradition of tolerance and accommodation. We shall not be defeated in our struggle to ensure that the constitutional rights of every Indian is protected in these trying times.

The writer is a Rajya Sabha MP from the Congress