Mumbai Police Under Fire Over Viral Video Showing Cop Handling Female Protester; Police Deny Misconduct
MUMBAI — The Mumbai Police have found themselves in the middle of a fresh controversy after a new video circulated on social media purportedly showing a male police official physically handling a female protester during a recent demonstration.
The incident has drawn sharp criticism from Opposition leaders and social media users, who have questioned why male officers were handling a young female demonstrator instead of deploying female personnel.
Controversy and Public Backlash
In the widely shared video, a plainclothes police official is seen aggressively handling a young woman in the midst of a crowd during a protest action.
Politicians were quick to condemn the officer’s actions.
"What is this behavior, Mumbai Police? Why is a male cop manhandling a young female protester like this? Why isn't he letting his female colleagues handle this? What action will be taken against him? This is unacceptable."
NCP leader Rohit Pawar also called for strict action, demanding the officer's immediate suspension and an inquiry into outraging a woman's modesty.
Mumbai Police Clarify & Deny Allegations
Responding to the growing backlash, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) released an official clarification rejecting any allegations of deliberate misconduct.
According to senior officials, after thoroughly reviewing the video frame-by-frame, the police concluded that the clip was being "irresponsibly misinterpreted."
Official Stand: The police stated that the male official was actually trying to hold and restrain a male protester.
Inadvertent Contact: While the officer was looking away to catch the male protester, a female demonstrator stepped in between them, leading to accidental physical contact.
The department maintained there was no intentional misbehavior or misconduct by the officer involved.
Mounting Pressure on Law Enforcement
This incident follows closely on the heels of another recent row involving the Mumbai Police, where a police constable was transferred after a video showed him threatening student protesters with false narcotics cases if they returned to demonstrate.
With multiple videos raising public concern over police conduct during recent student and political demonstrations, senior police officials have reportedly advised on-ground officers to exercise greater restraint while managing crowds.
