Maharashtra: Viral Cop Video Ignites Row; Mumbai Police Deny Misconduct
“What is this behaviour Mumbai Police? Why is a male cop manhandling a young female protestor like this? Why isn’t he letting his female colleagues handle this?": Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad
MUMBAI: A viral video showing a police officer allegedly manhandling a woman protester during a demonstration in Mumbai against the NEET paper leak has caused uproar in Maharashtra with the opposition demanding strict action against the cop. However, the Mumbai police rejected the allegations, saying that he was instead attempting to restrain a male protester when the woman inadvertently came in between.
The video, reportedly recorded during a protest in Mumbai’s Dadar area, shows a plainclothes police officer grabbing and dragging a woman amid the chaos as demonstrators were being dispersed. The clip quickly went viral, with Opposition leaders alleging excessive use of force against women protesters.
Sharing the video on X, Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad described the officer’s conduct as ‘unacceptable’ and demanded strict action against those responsible.
“What is this behaviour Mumbai Police? Why is a male cop manhandling a young female protestor like this? Why isn’t he letting his female colleagues handle this? What action will be taken against him? This is unacceptable,” Gaikwad said.
The Congress MP alleged that protesting students are being threatened and false cases are being filed against them. “The agitation over the paper leak case is underway. What happened to a young woman during the protest in Mumbai is deeply painful. It is not right to speak of ‘Ladki Bahin’ and then treat young women in this manner. It is shameful that women are allegedly being mistreated in the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. False cases are being filed against students, and they are being threatened,” she said in another tweet.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar also shared the same video on X and demanded strict action against the policeman seen in the clip. “This video is infuriating. Who is this person? If he is a policeman, suspend him immediately or dismiss him from the police force. Register a case of outraging the modesty of a woman against him and put him behind bars. He is a blot on the Maharashtra Police, a force with a distinguished reputation,” Pawar stated.
However, the Mumbai police rejected the allegations, saying an ‘irresponsible’ interpretation was being made of their employee’s behaviour.
Responding to Gaikwad's claims, the Mumbai Police wrote on X, “This is being irresponsibly misinterpreted – the official, while managing law & order there, was trying to hold on to a male protestor when a lady unknowingly stepped in between, while he was looking away.”
“Being a public figure, you are expected to verify facts before attributing any meaning based on a video. Senior officers have verified all the facts and minutely assessed the video to derive facts,” police added.
No case has been registered in connection with the allegations so far.