Hundreds detained, cameras snatched, women protesters alleging molestation by male constables — Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday, October 5, 2026, turned the spotlight on a crackdown at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, charging that authorities are running a deliberate pattern: silence any woman who dares to ask questions.

Posting in Hindi, Gandhi wrote: 'दिल्ली में इस वक़्त जो हो रहा है, उसका एक ही पैटर्न है - जो औरत सवाल पूछे, उसे चुप कराओ.' — 'What is happening in Delhi right now follows a single pattern: silence any woman who asks questions.' The post went on to cite three specific incidents at the protest site.

What Happened at Jantar Mantar

According to Gandhi's post, hundreds of people were taken into custody at Jantar Mantar. Women demonstrators alleged that male police personnel manhandled them — a charge that, if verified, would constitute a direct violation of the Code of Criminal Procedure's requirement that only female officers handle female detainees.

The post also describes female journalists having their cameras seized and being physically dragged. A video link attached to the tweet appears to document one such incident involving a journalist — though the specific identity and full context of the clip have not been independently confirmed.

Jantar Mantar as a Flashpoint

Jantar Mantar, a stone's throw from Parliament Street in central Delhi, has historically been the capital's designated open-air protest ground. It has hosted agitations ranging from farmers' marches to anti-corruption sit-ins. Police action at the site invariably draws national attention precisely because of its symbolic proximity to the legislature.

Allegations of male officers detaining or physically handling female protesters are particularly sensitive under Indian law: Section 46 of the Code of Criminal Procedure explicitly bars male officers from arresting a woman after sunset and mandates that female officers be present during any physical restraint. Similar protections extend, by convention and press-freedom norms, to journalists covering public protests.

Gandhi Frames It as a Gendered Pattern

The Leader of the Opposition did not limit his post to cataloguing incidents. His framing was pointed: the common thread running through the detentions, the alleged molestation, and the camera-snatching is gender — specifically, the suppression of women who speak or report. That framing turns a policing story into a civil-liberties argument, and positions the Opposition as the voice demanding accountability.

Delhi Police, which operates under the jurisdiction of the Union Home Ministry, had not issued a public response to the specific allegations at the time of publication.

If the accounts Gandhi cited hold up to scrutiny, the question is not just about crowd management — it is about whether constitutional protections for women and press freedom were suspended for the duration of a single protest morning in the heart of the capital.