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Delhi Police have detained at least 12 journalists while they were covering protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi for the second consecutive day.
Among those detained was a reporter from *Hindustan*, an affiliate of *Hindustan Times*. The journalists were detained on Sunday while covering a protest called by the All India Students’ Association (AISA). Police have also been accused of mistreating journalists during the incident.
Ashish Singh, a 27-year-old reporter for *Hindustan*, said police detained him around 2:30pm while he was covering the protest in the RK Ashram Marg area. He alleged that officers pushed him around and injured him. Despite wearing a press identity card around his neck, police allegedly ignored his credentials.
“I was recording the detentions on camera when the police started pushing me. They also struck me with some sharp object, possibly a type of metal object worn on a finger. I repeatedly told them that I was a reporter for *Hindustan Times* and showed them my identity card, but they did not listen,” Ashish said.
After spending around 20 to 30 minutes on a police bus, he and other journalists got off when the vehicle reached the Mandir Marg area.
“I was afraid the police would seize our phones and delete all the photos and videos,” he said.
Photographer Also Detained While Taking Pictures
A photographer working for a national news agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said police detained him while he was photographing the detention of protesters.
According to him, police initially cleared bystanders from the area before starting to detain journalists.
“Suddenly, the police shouted, ‘Take him inside.’ They then pushed me onto the bus. Fearing that they might seize my belongings and delete my photos and videos, I hid my memory card,” he said.
The other detained journalists included three reporters from *The Indian Express Hindi*, one reporter from *The Hindu* and several camera operators working for digital news outlets.
A Delhi Police public relations officer declined to comment on the detentions.
Three Indian Express Journalists Released After 45 Minutes
In a post on X, “The Indian Express” identified its three journalists as Shashwat, Siya and Vijay. They were detained from the Connaught Place area and taken to Chhatrasal Stadium, around 12 kilometres from where they were picked up. The three journalists were released after approximately 45 minutes. Source: Indian media.
