'My father was almost lynched': Families of Delhi cops assaulted during NEET protests share chilling accounts

The family members of the injured police personnel held a press conference and played videos purportedly showing several officers being assaulted during the protest.

Sub-inspector's daughter recalls father's ordeal

Kunjal, a Delhi University student, said her father, a sub-inspector, was deployed on the frontline near the barricades at the Jantar Mantar protest site.

She said: "Whenever my father came home at night, he used to say that the protest no longer seemed like a student protest. Many antisocial elements had become involved in it. The very next day, on the 25th, my father was pulled by a rowdy mob and was almost lynched near the stage at Jantar Mantar."

Kunjal said that following the attack "on the 25th at around 2 pm", her father remained unconscious for four hours.

"Around 10:00 PM, his colleagues brought him home, and his uniform was completely stained with blood. It was extremely painful for us to see him in that condition...," she said.

'He was called a criminal on social media'

Kunjal further alleged that after the incident, she found posts on social media branding her father a criminal.

She said she later learnt that protesters were moving the Supreme Court against her father and other police personnel.

"I felt very hurt and decided that I should also seek justice for my father. I received support from other police families, and we went to the Supreme Court," she said, adding that an advocate had assured them that their side of the story would be presented before the apex court.

ACP's wife describes emotional impact

The wife of a Delhi Police Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) also spoke about the emotional toll the incident had taken on her family.

"It was painful and traumatic for myself and our two-year-old daughter when my husband returned home late as an injured on July 20 night."

ASI's wife recounts phone call from protest site

Seema, whose husband serves as an assistant sub-inspector (ASI), said he had joined the Delhi Police as a constable three decades ago and was deployed at the Jantar Mantar protest.

She alleged, as quoted by NDTV: "During the Jantar Mantar protest, he was also assigned duty. The protest was supposed to be conducted peacefully. He was performing his duties with full alertness. On July 20, he left early, taking his tiffin from home as he does every day. When I spoke to him around 11 am, he told me on the phone that the crowd at Jantar Mantar was quite large that day, and the protesters were marching towards parliament."

She said she later learnt that her husband had been hospitalised after violence broke out.

"I was worried and told him to take care of himself. I didn't speak to him after that. At 7 pm, when I called and spoke to him, he was admitted to hospital, undergoing treatment. He said the crowd had become highly aggressive and that mischievous elements had mixed in with them."

"They attacked and injured the police personnel using flowerpots, whatever they could get their hands on, slippers, shoes and stones. This is also visible in a video clip. After that, his phone battery died, so we couldn't speak," she added.