In letter to Delhi top cop, CPI(M) MP demands probe into 'assault', 'humiliation' of Kerala students

New Delhi, Sep 26 (PTI) CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas on Friday wrote to Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha, alleging that two students from Kerala were assaulted by cops and locals near the Red Fort, "coerced" to speak Hindi and ridiculed for wearing a common attire of the state.

Demanding a probe into the alleged incident that happened here on Wednesday, Brittas said Aswanth I T and Sudhin K, both studying at the Zakir Husain Delhi College, were subjected to an inhuman attack and custodial assault after they were "falsely accused of theft".

In a letter addressed to the commissioner of police, he said the students' humiliation at the hands of Delhi Police personnel was "deeply disturbing".

"On the evening of 24th September, while the students were near Red Fort, they were reportedly accosted by a group of miscreants who falsely accused them of theft.

"Instead of extending protection to these students, the policemen present reportedly colluded with the mob and what followed was nothing short of custodial brutality: the students were dragged, beaten with fibre lathis, stomped upon, stripped, and humiliated in the most degrading manner," Brittas said.

Their mobile phones were seized, their personal dignity was violated, and they were coerced into false confessions, the Rajya Sabha MP said.

"It is learnt that the assault continued even within police premises, in full public view, with locals permitted to participate in the assault. The mobile phone and footwear of one of the students were also reportedly stolen during the assault," he alleged.

"Of particular concern is the news that these students, being less fluent in Hindi, tried to explain themselves in English - only to be beaten further, abused, and coerced to speak in Hindi," he said.

"Even more outrageous" were reports that one of the students was targeted and ridiculed for wearing his traditional Kerala attire, the mundu, thereby converting a simple cultural expression into grounds for criminalisation, he said.

"Such conduct demonstrates a disturbing mix of cultural prejudice and unconstitutional coercion," he said, adding that it is an affront to the cultural and linguistic diversity enshrined in the Indian Constitution.

The Delhi Police, as the custodian of law and order in the national capital, carries a higher burden of responsibility to ensure that citizens, especially students who have migrated from distant states in pursuit of education, feel safe, secure, and respected, the CPI(M) leader said.

To the contrary, this incident portrays an alarming picture of bias, brutality, and impunity, he said, urging the commissioner to conduct an impartial probe.

"I therefore earnestly urge you to issue urgent directions to conduct an impartial high-level investigation into the incident, ensuring that officers and others responsible for this barbaric assault are identified and brought to justice, as well as to retrieve and return the belongings lost by the students in this ordeal," he said.

"I also seek your benevolence in issuing standing instructions to all police units in Delhi to uphold cultural sensitivity, constitutional values, and the fundamental rights of all citizens, without prejudice or discrimination," Brittas added. PTI AO AO SKY SKY