Two independent women journalists in Delhi are at the center of a growing controversy after alleging that police officers beat them at a local station allegations that have triggered outrage from opposition politicians and press bodies alike, even as the police flatly deny any wrongdoing.
The incident allegedly took place on September 3, when journalists Shaheen Khan and Nafisa Khan, both associated with 4PM News, were covering the inauguration of a new hospital wing in South Delhi’s Saket area — an event attended by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the Union Home Minister. According to Shaheen Khan, the trouble began right after she and her colleague asked the CM some pointed questions that reportedly didn’t go down well with the accompanying police personnel.
What followed, she claims, was disturbing. The two women say they were detained and taken to Saket police station, where they were slapped repeatedly and beaten with lathis. In a particularly troubling detail, Shaheen Khan alleged that while she was being assaulted, an incoming call on her phone displayed the name “Mohammed” and that an officer, noticing this, said “Muslim hai… do dande zyada maaro” (She’s Muslim, hit her a couple more times), suggesting the beating escalated further after the officer became aware of her religion.
The images that emerged afterward were hard to ignore one showed Nafisa Khan being carried out of the police station, seemingly unable to walk on her own, with visible injuries to her leg. Shaheen said she too sustained injuries to her arm and leg.
Delhi Police, for its part, has pushed back hard against the narrative. A police statement called the circulating claims “factually incorrect and misleading,” insisting the two women had parked their scooter along a restricted VVIP route and refused repeated requests to move it, which is why they were taken to the station for questioning as part of standard security protocol. The force has made no mention of any physical altercation.
The political fallout was swift. AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the Delhi Police of “very brutally” beating the reporters and directed sharp criticism at the CM, while Congress’s Pawan Khera questioned whether the visuals coming out of the police station reflected “a democracy or a police state.” Several press bodies — including the Press Club of India, the Indian Women’s Press Corps, and the Delhi Union of Journalists — have jointly condemned the incident and demanded punitive action against the officers involved, including the station house officer.
As of now, neither the Delhi government nor the police have issued any further comment, and the allegations remain unverified independently. The story continues to develop, with journalist unions expected to escalate their protest if no action is taken.
Sources: Deccan Chronicle, NewsX, Ummid.com
