Delhi BJP women’s wing protests outside Congress HQ over alleged misconduct with women police personnel

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

The Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Mahila Morcha staged a protest near the Congress headquarters on Thursday, alleging that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had misbehaved with women police personnel during protests on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The protesters, led by Delhi BJP general secretary Yogita Singh, gathered near the Andhra Bhawan red light and marched towards the Congress office at Indira Bhawan, raising slogans and demanding an apology from Mr. Gandhi.

Addressing the protesters, Ms. Singh said disagreement was part of democracy but alleged that disrespecting women police personnel was unacceptable.

“There is a place for disagreement in a democracy, but raising a hand against women police personnel and insulting them is unacceptable,” she said, adding that the Mahila Morcha would intensify its agitation if such behaviour continued.

Mahila Morcha in-charge Aarti Mehra also demanded an apology from Mr. Gandhi and the Congress, saying that respect for women also included respect for women in uniform.

“Rahul Gandhi must immediately apologise, otherwise the women of Delhi will respond to this on the streets,” Ms. Mehra said.

Mahila Morcha president Archana Gupta alleged that Mr. Gandhi’s conduct was “shameful” and demanded a public apology. BJP vice-president Sarika Jain said the alleged incident reflected what she described as an “anti-women mindset” and called for an immediate apology.

MLA Shikha Roy also backed the demand, saying those responsible for enforcing the law deserved respect.

“Those who cannot respect the protectors of law cannot claim to respect women. The Congress must apologise to the women of the country. The BJP Mahila Morcha will fight at every level for the dignity and honour of women,” Ms. Roy said.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.