BJP leader Om Prakash Dhankhar
ROHTAK: The police action against protesters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on October 10 has triggered a political controversy in Haryana, with Congress leaders and women’s organisations alleging mistreatment of demonstrators, while senior BJP leader and former Haryana Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankhar has defended Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and criticised the Congress.The protest, organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), reportedly demanded Kumar’s resignation. Following the incident, Congress announced a demonstration in Delhi on October 12, with several Haryana leaders urging party workers and women to participate in large numbers.Former Haryana chief minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda questioned the police action, asserting that peaceful protest was a fundamental democratic right.“I will also come to Delhi. Let us see who stops us,” Hooda said, calling the alleged treatment of protesters unacceptable. He accused the government of suppressing democratic voices and supported demands for greater transparency in elections, including the use of ballot papers.Former Haryana education minister Geeta Bhukkal alleged that women protesters were manhandled, dragged along the road and had their clothes torn. She said the incident deserved strong condemnation and asserted that women’s voices would not be silenced. Bhukkal also called for women to participate actively in the October 12 demonstration.Suman Hooda, state president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Mahila, alleged that women protesters were detained until the evening and released after 8 pm. She claimed that women faced physical assault and molestation, and were forcibly placed in buses by police personnel. She further alleged that journalists, including women reporters, were detained and assaulted despite displaying their identity cards.Jagmati Sangwan, national vice-president of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), also condemned the alleged police action. She claimed that thousands of protesters were detained, including almost the entire central leadership of the organisation. Sangwan alleged that young women were assaulted and dragged on the road, while media personnel were also targeted.Former Haryana deputy chief minister and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala described the incident as an assault on democracy. He questioned the scale of security deployment and supported calls for Kumar’s resignation, urging political and social organisations to collectively discuss the issue.However, Dhankhar rejected the Congress’s allegations against the Election Commission, maintaining that Kumar had performed his duties properly and that there was no justification for demanding his resignation.He questioned the Congress’s criticism of the electoral process, arguing that the party’s governments in several states demonstrated that the electoral system could not simply be dismissed as unfair. Dhankhar also accused Rahul Gandhi of pushing police personnel and alleged that Priyanka Gandhi had elbowed women police officers during the confrontation. He claimed that the Congress was misleading the public.The allegations made by protesters and political leaders, as well as Dhankhar’s claims concerning Congress leaders, require independent verification. The Delhi Police’s response to the allegations remains important to establishing the full circumstances of the incident.With Congress planning its October 12 demonstration and women’s organisations demanding accountability, the controversy has intensified the political debate in Haryana over civil liberties, police conduct and the Election Commission’s role in safeguarding electoral integrity
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