Journalist Richa Parashar filed a police complaint against Rahul Gandhi on Friday. She alleged that Gandhi pushed her during an INDIA bloc march on Monday, causing her to fall on Supreme Court steps. Parashar, who is three months pregnant, demanded an FIR. Meanwhile, Congress leaders said the claims are false.
New Delhi:
A three-month-pregnant journalist who had alleged that Rahul Gandhi had pushed her during a protest earlier this week has now filed a police complaint, demanding that a case be registered against the Leader of the Opposition.
Journalist Richa Parashar had claimed that Gandhi "grabbed" her hand and "yanked" it so hard that she fell on some stairs, with her stomach hitting the ground, during the INDIA bloc's march to the Supreme Court on Monday to submit a petition over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision process.
READ | Pregnant Journalist Alleges Rahul Gandhi Pushed Her. Lies, Says Congress
"I was inside the Supreme Court premises, positioned right by a gate, waiting for him to exit so I could get a soundbite, specifically from Rahul Gandhi... Before I could fully process what was happening, Rahul Gandhi moved forward with a very unpleasant expression. Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and yanked me forward. He pulled me so hard, and then - it all happened so fast - his bodyguards shoved me away. I fell face-first onto the Supreme Court steps," Parashar, who works for the news website Oneindia, had said from a hospital bed.
On Friday, Parashar submitted a complaint to the deputy commissioner of police of the New Delhi district, demanding the immediate registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Gandhi and others.
She said in the complaint that she is three months pregnant and was subjected to mistreatment, threats, and pushing or the use of force.
A post shared by Richa Paarashar (@anchorrichaparashar)
The sections cited in the complaint include assault or use of criminal force with the intent to outrage the modesty of a woman, voluntarily causing hurt, and acts done so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life or the personal safety of others.
Congress Denial
The Congress said at the time that a video released by the journalist to claim that the incident had happened does not actually show the sequence of events she claims.
READ | Did Rahul Gandhi Push Pregnant Journalist? What Video Shows And What She Said
"Protest during pregnancy carries risk. They say Rahul Gandhi pushed her at 3-4 pm and then they say she went to hospital at 8.30 pm. Her sister reached the BJP MLA's office to manufacture propaganda. She underwent an X-ray which is usually not done during pregnancy," Congress leader Alka Lamba said in a post on X.
The BJP, however, seized on the issue to attack Gandhi and claim that Congress workers, who had not helped Parashar, were now trying to discredit her.
"Rahul Gandhi, who speaks of 'smashing the patriarchy,' behaved like a goon. The women of this country should see the true face of the Congress party and the reality behind Priyanka Vadra's slogan of 'ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon' (I am a girl, I can fight)," BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said.