Two Muslim women journalists in Delhi, India, have been the target of a serious allegation of police brutality while carrying out their professional duties. They were taken to a police station and severely beaten, according to TRT World.
Victims say the level of the assault escalated further once police learned they were Muslim. After a video of the incident spread online, it has sparked intense outrage and widespread debate across India.
The incident occurred in Delhi’s Saket area. India’s Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had come to attend an event at a hospital there. While covering the event, journalists Shaheen Khan and Nafisa Khan of the digital news outlet “4PM News Network” tried to ask the chief minister some questions. That is when trouble began. Police detained them and took them to Saket police station.
In a video circulating on social media, journalist Shaheen Khan is seen showing marks of injury on her body. Nafisa Khan was unable to walk from the pain, and others had to help carry her.
The victims allege they were beaten with sticks and slapped at the police station. Shaheen said that when police heard her surname, “Khan,” they asked about her religion. When a call from a Muslim contact then came in on her phone, one police officer reportedly said, “Oh, she’s Muslim — give her two more strikes with the stick.”
Delhi Police have completely denied the allegation. They claim the journalists were taken to the station only because they obstructed the home minister’s movement, and that the claim of beating is not true.
As the incident spread, India’s journalist community erupted in protest. Several journalist organizations have demanded punishment for the officers responsible and an impartial investigation. An appeal seeking justice over the incident has also been made to President Droupadi Murmu. Political parties, meanwhile, have also turned their fire on the government. Opposition leaders say that in the country today, practicing impartial journalism and being Muslim have effectively become a crime.