New Delhi: Keralam Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has written to the President, the Rajya Sabha Chairperson, and the Chief Justice of India, seeking urgent intervention into what unfolded during protests in the Capital Saturday and Sunday.
He claimed that he was “manhandled, dragged, assaulted” and “misbehaved” with inside a police vehicle and “abandoned on the roadside… for the crime of speaking to the media”. In a later post on social media platform X, Brittas clarified that he had not been detained, as had been reported elsewhere.
Brittas and thousands of others had staged a protest in parts of the national capital over the weekend, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, over allegations pertaining to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
No permission had been granted by the Delhi Police for any protest, and several people were detained and kept in detention centres. “It happened within hours of the Supreme Court issuing directions to safeguard peaceful protest and constitutional rights,” Brittas said.
A sctn of the media has reported that I was detained yesterday while participating in a protest. This is incorrect, could be inadvertent. I was merely speaking to the media without flouting any of the Delhi Police restrictions. Was well away from the barricades and did not even… pic.twitter.com/rvP8VAlilO
— John Brittas (@JohnBrittas) October 12, 2026
‘Brutal police assault’
Writing to President Droupadi Murmu, the MP sought to detail the police’s “brutal assault” on him, saying it took place during a peaceful media interaction in Delhi. He called it a “grave violation of constitutional freedoms and parliamentary dignity”.
In his letter, he requested urgent intervention and independent investigation.
“While peacefully interacting with journalists in connection with the ongoing democratic protests demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, Shri Gyanesh Kumar, I was forcibly dragged away, bodily lifted by police personnel, brutally assaulted inside a police vehicle and subsequently abandoned on the roadside. The entire episode raises grave questions about the rule of law, the guarantee of democratic dissent and the accountability of those entrusted with enforcing the law,” Brittas wrote in his letter.
Manhandled, dragged, assaulted n misbehaved inside a police vehicle and dumped by the roadside – for the crime of speaking to the media.
This is not merely an assault on an MP. It is an assault on democratic freedoms and the rule of law. More chillingly, it happened within hours… pic.twitter.com/ys2adxmaS2
— John Brittas (@JohnBrittas) October 11, 2026
He added: “What makes this incident all the more shocking is that this brutality occurred within hours of the Hon’ble Supreme Court issuing explicit directions to safeguard peaceful protesters against illegal detention, ensure uninterrupted internet connectivity and normal Metro and railway services, and protect the free movement of people.”
Brittas said he reached Connaught Place around 12.30 pm Sunday and was interacting with journalists, when he got to know a few young activists were being assaulted and detained. “I was simply exercising my democratic right to speak to the press. Nevertheless, Delhi Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel forcibly manhandled and dragged me for approximately 50 metres, despite repeated assertions by both myself and the journalists present that I am a sitting MP.”
Brittas said a few police personnel lifted him into the air and carried him towards a police vehicle, “treating a sitting Member of Parliament as though I were an object to be hauled away. There was no provocation whatsoever to justify this high-handed action”.
Brittas said the brutality escalated after he was put inside the vehicle. “The police personnel assaulted me and pinned me to the seat. The assault continued even after I identified myself as a Member of Parliament. Nothing can justify the use of physical violence against me in the circumstances described. This incident cannot be viewed in isolation from the wider context of the ongoing protests.”
He went on to say, “The authorities may agree or disagree with these demands, but they cannot answer them with physical violence. The government cannot intimidate democracy into silence. It cannot deploy the police as an instrument of political retaliation.”
Brittas sought urgent intervention to seek a comprehensive report from the Union government and the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, to ensure that an independent and impartial investigation is initiated.
He said that all relevant evidence needs to be preserved immediately, including complete and unedited video recordings, vehicle identification and movement records, duty rosters, deployment orders, wireless communications, control-room logs and records concerning “my detention and release”.
The identities of the personnel involved need to be established without delay, he said. The role of the deputy commissioner of police and any other supervisory officer who was informed of the assault needs to be examined, he added, emphasising that those found responsible, including supervisory officers where complicity or dereliction is established, must face appropriate disciplinary and criminal proceedings in accordance with law.
Taking to X, CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby said that he met Brittas at RML Hospital, where he was admitted.
ThePrint reached Delhi Police Spokesperson Additional Commissioner Rajeev Ranjan, who refused to comment on the matter.
Also Read: Delhi protests, mass detentions put SC’s suo motu powers in focus: When does top court step in
Night of chaos at detention centres
Further, on Sunday, several detentions raised concerns. X user Disha Verma, who claimed her friend was detained by the police and taken to a community centre at Pandwalan Khurd, posted that around 6.40 pm, protesters were picked up from Connaught Place, their phones seized, and all protest videos deleted.
“They have been detained and brutally beaten up, totally crushed by the cops in the bus, including minors,” she posted.
This is the most horrific detention story you will hear today.
At 8 PM, this bus stopped at a community centre in Pandwalan Khurd (see photo).
Detainees fractured. Four minors present. Everyone barbarically beaten up. No lawyers allowed to enter.
This is how we got here. ⬇️ https://t.co/BtmBRyqVlR pic.twitter.com/ozUMvrS7hz
— disha verma (@di_shawarma) October 11, 2026
At 8 pm, the bus stopped at a community centre in Pandwalan Khurd. She said detainees had fracture injuries, while four minors were present. Everyone was barbarically beaten up. No lawyers allowed to enter, she wrote on X.
“Peaceful protesters were detained from Connaught Place and taken to the Life Insurance Corporation buildling area—in a space sealed off from lawyers, journalists, crowds,” she said. “They were made to kneel down in a row. Cops frisked them and physically snatched all their phones.”
The bus circled around Kapashera and Najafgarh for an hour. Disha said the police knew lawyers were waiting for them at Kapashera and Chhawla Police Stations.
They reached Chhawla Police Station by 6.53 pm and promptly moved on. By 7.30 pm , they touch Pandwalan Gaon. By 8 pm, they were forced into a community centre there, Disha added. None of the detainees had their phones, so none had an idea of what was going on, she said.
She also claimed that Delhi Police cut off electricity at the community centre. Around 9.49 pm, Disha alerted that the detainees were being released after hours of “extrajudicial torture and detention”. Disha said around 50-60 protesters were kept here.
She told ThePrint that the protesters were allegedly kicked and beaten up, and sustained bodily injuries.
A senior police officer from Dwarka district told ThePrint, “Allegations are not substantiated. Neither any woman nor minor was found on that bus. They were allowed to leave after an hour. A police bus was even provided for dropping.”
The officer added that there were around 56 people brought to the detention centre, and were all released soon after the completion of formalities. They were also provided with water, food, and carpets to sit on, he said.
Searching for missing students
Several student and political groups have taken to social media to attempt finding students they say have been untraceable since their detention by police.
Sandeep Yadav, president of Youth for Swaraj, said a student named Aranya had been missing since being detained by Delhi Police near Connaught Place around 4.30 pm Sunday. “According to fellow protesters, she was beaten inside a police detention vehicle and struggled to breathe. Police took her away for medical treatment, but she has not been seen or heard from since,” he said.
He added: “Her phone is switched off. She has not been found in nearby hospitals, and her name is missing from the medico-legal register at Parliament Street Police Station.”
“Some of our fellow protesters are on their way to RML Hospital to look for Aranya. We desperately hope she is there, safe and receiving medical care,” Yadav said.
Meanwhile, DCP (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma issued a clarification stating that reports claiming student Aranya has gone missing following her detention by Delhi Police were incorrect. “She was detained during a protest at Connaught Place, where she bit a police officer on the hand. As per standard procedure, she was taken for a mandatory medical examination and will be released immediately afterwards. Please verify facts before circulating unverified information.”
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
Also Read: CJP protesters recount Delhi detention merry-go-round—‘a bus, endless detours, no destination’