Left-wing women's organisations on Saturday, 17 October 2026, staged a demonstration outside the Delhi Police Headquarters in New Delhi, alleging that women journalists and female protestors were being unlawfully detained and harassed during recent protests in the national capital. The groups demanded an immediate end to what they described as targeted police action against women participating in public demonstrations.

Key Developments

A large gathering of women activists and organisation representatives assembled outside the Delhi Police headquarters, raising slogans and holding banners against what they called police excesses. The protestors also reiterated an earlier demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, citing controversy over the revision of electoral rolls and allegations that several citizens had been excluded from voter lists.

Organisations represented at the protest included the Student Federation of India (SFI), All India Mahila Samskritik Sanghatan (AIMSS), and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), among others.

What the Activists Alleged

According to demonstrators, several women journalists and female participants in recent protests had been detained by the Delhi Police. One activist alleged that the situation had deteriorated to an alarming degree. “We have never seen such incidents in this country where women protestors are facing sexual harassment at the hands of police. During recent protests, we have seen incidents of police touching the women protestors’ body parts inappropriately; this is something that never happened before,” the activist said.

Another protestor declared, “The brutality shown by the Delhi Police should stop. No one can stop us from protesting against the ECI; this is our democratic right. We cannot tolerate the shamelessness shown by the police towards the women protesters.” A third activist added, “The women of this country will not tolerate this kind of harassment for simply demanding their rights. This is not fair, and we will continue to raise our voice against the harassment by the Delhi Police.”

Notably, the Delhi Police has not issued an official response to these specific allegations, and the claims remain attributed solely to the protestors at this stage.

Detention of AISA President

Activists expressed particular anger over the reported detention of All India Students’ Association (AISA) President Neha Bora, claiming she was held at a police station for several hours on Saturday evening. The demonstrators called on the Delhi Police to ensure that women exercising their right to protest were treated in accordance with the law and that their democratic rights were upheld.

Broader Context

The protest is the latest escalation in a series of demonstrations in the national capital linked to demands around electoral roll revisions and the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI). Critics argue that the controversy over voter list exclusions has galvanised left-leaning student and women’s bodies into sustained street action. This comes amid a wider national debate about the treatment of protestors by law enforcement, with civil society groups increasingly scrutinising police conduct at demonstrations.

With no official response from Delhi Police yet and the protest movement showing no signs of abating, the confrontation between these organisations and law enforcement is likely to intensify in the days ahead.