Forty-five people – 15 men and 30 women – were sexually assaulted by the Delhi police during the northeast Delhi riots amid CAA protests, a report released by the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) has revealed, The Print reported.
“Women, as young as 16 and as old as 60, were sexually assaulted, many of who are suffering now from serious gynaecological complications. A woman who had previously been operated for a cesarean delivery kept pleading for the beatings to stop, but the assault continued till the cop was pulled back,” the report added.
The report said that more men were also assaulted and ‘suffered injuries in their sexual organs. The attack on groin and rectum resulted in severe injuries. The heinous and common feature of the attacks on both the genders was an attempted demonstration of the unlimited power of the police over the protestors.’
At least 53 people were killed and more than 200 injured in the February 23-25 rioting in north-east Delhi that started as clashes between supporters and opponents of the CAA before acquiring a communal colour. Shaheen Bagh was the venue of an anti-CAA sit-in protest in December.
The Delhi Police had earlier said that it has registered almost 700 cases and held around 2,200 people in connection with last month's communal riots in northeast Delhi.
Of the total 690 cases registered, 48 were related to the Arms Act, Delhi Police said in a statement. In total, 2,193 people have been either detained or arrested so far in connection with the communal violence, the police said. Out of the 2,193 people held, 50 have been arrested on charges under the Arms Act, they said.
