Rahul Gandhi and Imran Masood have thrown a huge political firestorm into the political air and drew widespread criticism for their dismissive and nasty remarks at a press conference attended by family members of Delhi Police personnel. The officers were among the policemen injured in violent clashes that erupted on 20th of July ‘Sansad Chalo’ student protests. The controversy erupted after relatives of the wounded cops spoke out and gave personal accounts of violence in the world in horror and anguish and the physical suffering and trauma that law enforcement officers have been denied in the broader public and political discourse.
At the emotionally charged press conference organized by Delhi Police, family members bravely disclosed the horrific reality their loved ones were living through. Kunjal, the daughter of a Sub-Inspector, and Lakshay Singh Bisht, son of an Assistant Sub-Inspector, both spoke up and described how her father had suffered severe head trauma and required four stitches after he was attacked by angry demonstrators near the Parliament barricades. And Bisht's story is similar to that of his father who had serious head injury and had to shave his hair for emergency treatment. The families were livid at what they described as a biased and "one-sided" story that had taken over social media platforms and Bisht said that public sympathy had completely neglected the terrible violence committed against police officers.
When reporters asked Rahul Gandhi to respond to the families of the police families on the issue later, he didn't respond and instead answered with the phrase, "Aap BJP ke ho kya?" (Are you from the BJP?). In the lead up to this incident, fellow Congress MP Imran Masood dismissed the request for justice by the families of the injured officers. When asked about the sacrifice of the officers to their work and the paid job, Masood simply said, "Naukari kar rahe hain woh. Tankhah milti hai."
The insensitive remarks were immediately rejected by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP MP and former Uttar Pradesh DGP Brijlal dubbed Rahul Gandhi’s double standards as hypocrisy: politicians who depend on armed police protection and have no respect for the officers and policemen as human beings. CR Kesavan, the national spokesperson of the BJP, also attacked Congress leaders on the basis of their lack of respect for the country’s men and women. As the political polarization deepens, the bitter argument over narrative has opened wider divisions on accountability, respect for public servants and the violent aftermath of the July 20 demonstrations.
