On 9 October, a day after being released from prison, journalists Rosy and Gajendra Singh, along with 16 others arrested with them, were having a rather tough day.
Not only had most of Rosy's male colleagues spent a night in Tihar Jail, but hours of questioning by the Crime Branch in connection with Rosy's complaint of alleged assault by ACP Vivek Bhagat during protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had left them running from pillar to post.
Speaking during our interview, Rosy said: “I am not against the Delhi Police. I believe in the institution, and that's precisely why I am knocking on their doors for justice.”
Rosy has been seeking the registration of an FIR alleging sexual assault by ACP Vivek Bhagat, but an FIR on her complaint has yet to be registered. Days of protests took place outside the Parliament Street Police Station, where CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ratna Singh also extended their support. But instead of hearing Rosy and her supporters out, the police station was cordoned off. The Delhi Police subsequently transferred her complaint to the Crime Branch for an “impartial investigation”.
Meanwhile, a new development has added another layer to the case. An FIR was registered against Rosy and others following a complaint by ACP Vivek Bhagat alleging caste-based remarks, public humiliation and defamation. The case was registered under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
On 15 October, the Supreme Court granted Rosy interim protection, directing that no coercive action be taken against her in the case. The Court also indicated that it was considering an independent committee to examine allegations of sexual violence against women journalists covering protests.
What does Rosy's story tell us about the legal and policing systems we live in? What does it reveal about the challenges faced by independent journalists working on the ground amid conflict and confrontation? And what does it tell us about the everyday ordeals of women journalists reporting in the times we live in?
Rosy and Gajendra Singh talk about their fight for justice, the counter-case against them, and the struggles of being independent journalists on the ground.On 9 October, a day after being released from prison, journalists Rosy and Gajendra Singh, along with 16 others arrested with them, were having a rather tough day.
Not only had most of Rosy's male colleagues spent a night in Tihar Jail, but hours of questioning by the Crime Branch in connection with Rosy's complaint of alleged assault by ACP Vivek Bhagat during protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had left them running from pillar to post.
Speaking during our interview, Rosy said: “I am not against the Delhi Police. I believe in the institution, and that's precisely why I am knocking on their doors for justice.”
Rosy has been seeking the registration of an FIR alleging sexual assault by ACP Vivek Bhagat, but an FIR on her complaint has yet to be registered. Days of protests took place outside the Parliament Street Police Station, where CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ratna Singh also extended their support. But instead of hearing Rosy and her supporters out, the police station was cordoned off. The Delhi Police subsequently transferred her complaint to the Crime Branch for an “impartial investigation”.
Meanwhile, a new development has added another layer to the case. An FIR was registered against Rosy and others following a complaint by ACP Vivek Bhagat alleging caste-based remarks, public humiliation and defamation. The case was registered under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
On 15 October, the Supreme Court granted Rosy interim protection, directing that no coercive action be taken against her in the case. The Court also indicated that it was considering an independent committee to examine allegations of sexual violence against women journalists covering protests.
What does Rosy's story tell us about the legal and policing systems we live in? What does it reveal about the challenges faced by independent journalists working on the ground amid conflict and confrontation? And what does it tell us about the everyday ordeals of women journalists reporting in the times we live in?
Rosy and Gajendra Singh talk about their fight for justice, the counter-case against them, and the struggles of being independent journalists on the ground.On 9 October, a day after being released from prison, journalists Rosy and Gajendra Singh, along with 16 others arrested with them, were having a rather tough day.
Not only had most of Rosy's male colleagues spent a night in Tihar Jail, but hours of questioning by the Crime Branch in connection with Rosy's complaint of alleged assault by ACP Vivek Bhagat during protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had left them running from pillar to post.
Speaking during our interview, Rosy said: “I am not against the Delhi Police. I believe in the institution, and that's precisely why I am knocking on their doors for justice.”
Rosy has been seeking the registration of an FIR alleging sexual assault by ACP Vivek Bhagat, but an FIR on her complaint has yet to be registered. Days of protests took place outside the Parliament Street Police Station, where CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ratna Singh also extended their support. But instead of hearing Rosy and her supporters out, the police station was cordoned off. The Delhi Police subsequently transferred her complaint to the Crime Branch for an “impartial investigation”.
Meanwhile, a new development has added another layer to the case. An FIR was registered against Rosy and others following a complaint by ACP Vivek Bhagat alleging caste-based remarks, public humiliation and defamation. The case was registered under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
On 15 October, the Supreme Court granted Rosy interim protection, directing that no coercive action be taken against her in the case. The Court also indicated that it was considering an independent committee to examine allegations of sexual violence against women journalists covering protests.
What does Rosy's story tell us about the legal and policing systems we live in? What does it reveal about the challenges faced by independent journalists working on the ground amid conflict and confrontation? And what does it tell us about the everyday ordeals of women journalists reporting in the times we live in?
Rosy and Gajendra Singh talk about their fight for justice, the counter-case against them, and the struggles of being independent journalists on the ground.
You said your entire life has changed in a single day. On every news channel and social media portal, your name is known to people. But the talk on protests did not stop. 17 to 20 independent journalists who came out in your support were detained by the police from outside the Parliament Street Police station. At least 17 people had been arrested, some people's accounts have been suspended. How do you look at this whole incident? What changes have come into your everyday life in the past 10 days?
At the time this incident happened with me, when Vivek Bhagat did that with me and I quickly took action, I even yelled at him and all that got recorded. I went to the police station to get an FIR registered and it gets to 1:30 am, the FIR is not registered. Delhi Police asks for time, we gave time, we go the next day, and we don't get entry into the police station.
After that, the children who come in my support, they were not all journalists, some were students, and when next day we woke up and we went to ask Delhi police what happened to the FIR, the 48 hours you asked for had passed. Delhi Police stopped us right at the gate and asked for 20 minutes and after 20 minutes they became violent with us, videos of which are also there.
After that we were detained, taken to Delhi Cantt police station, and after 4.5 hours we were taken for MLC, our MLC did not happen there. Around 3:30 PM they tell us that they are taking us to RML for MLC. We were already detained at this point. I was separated from my colleagues and Delhi Police kidnapped me. I was taken to Mandir Marg police station, after 6:00 PM when Yogita mam came and I was released.
Yogita mam and I were searching for my colleagues at least for an hour. I didn't even know where my colleagues had been kept. After that information was received from somewhere that they have been taken to Patiala Family Court and when I saw there that my female friends were released, but I come to know that my male friends will be sent to Tihar.
I mean that time was such that what was their crime? Tihar is a very big thing, and certainly not for students, who only supported me in the protest, who are aged 17 years, 20 years, and it was very shocking that they are being sent to Tihar. What is the crime, we don't know. Just that they raised their voice with me. The next day when we went, we found out how they will be brought out, the whole process takes time, then they are brought out.
Gajendra ji, you were among those 17 people who were arrested. That morning regarding the Delhi police's side, many claims have come. What happened that morning when you people were detained?
It was around 7:30 or 8:00 AM and there, around 20-25 people were left because in the evening at night till 2-3 AM there were 70-80 people, but gradually morning was happening so all people had left from there to fresh up.
About 20-25 people were present there, so we said that once we go, before that an update should be taken, find out whether our complaint has an FIR registered or not, what the update is. We tried to go, but barricades were put up, they were not letting us go inside, we stood there for about 20 minutes. Many of our people, colleagues, they came there that let us go inside to take an update, but they did not let us go.
Then right there a three star is there, I am taking his name, he came and an argument happens with him. He said "we have to go inside" so we said that take us along inside if we have to go inside because they are not letting us go inside, so we said take us along with you.
They then become aggressive very much, so many statements were spoken right at that point of moment by people that because we were all saying that we will go to Supreme Court, we will do this and that, we are from media.
They said "aap media hi se toh hain, bhagwan thodi hain".
Like this they passed comments so it heated up, then in that matlab Rosy the way female officers came and started pushing so matlab it was a heated place, many media channels were there, so after that we said that now they are not letting us go, okay let's see, so we sit down again, as soon as we reached there to sit, then that SHO Indrajeet ji who is there, he brings a lot of police and forces, says "uthao inn sab ko". Then the people who were sitting, start detaining all of them, the ones who were not going start putting them forcefully and filled 18 people in the bus forcefully and from there then they sent us to Delhi Cantt.
And after that two boys were left, so they are taken back inside the thana inside Parliament Street and 20-25 people beat them a lot. "Dalli police bol rahe the na, ab papa bolo Delhi Police ko". And "saale tum toh protest karne ke bahane dhundte ho, youve sat down forcefully, blocked our way, sitting at the main gate". Kicks, punches, slaps, whatever they could do, they beat two boys. Then when one became unconscious, his name is Dharmendra, they said "isko chodo nahin toh mar jayega", then they beat the second one.
Afterwards they were put in a car. Four police guys came to drop them, one was made to sit in the middle, one was put in the boot. Now after making him sit in the middle, they said "tu toh saale Musalmaan hoga, isiliye yahan aaya hai, isiliye yahan aaye ho protest kar rahe ho."
Continuously from Parliament Street to Delhi Cantt they beat him badly and so much. When they reached there and we saw their condition, all of us 18 people got scared that why did they beat so much, what happened, what crime did they commit. Just like they detained and sent us they could have sent them too. So they vented anger, because of the slogans we were raising.
When we recorded their video, we saw Samarth's back, there was no such place where there was not a mark, and that footage is with everyone outside.
It felt like aatankwadiyon jaise treat kiya jaa raha tha.
And what was our demand? We went to get an FIR registered for Rosy and what happened? We got detained and FIR was put on us. How a system's power can be misused, that is being seen here that in sexual assault, after so much pressure being put, this country's LOP has tweeted in support of Rosy, Abhijeet Diple has tweeted and all social media people are tweeting, putting videos and 100-150 independent journalists are sitting on dharna from that evening, and despite that FIR is not registered. And after detaining us, FIR is regsitered againt 17 journalists. Sent to Tihar, and what happened in Tihar that is not even worth telling, what all to even tell you about that.
What happened after detentions?
When police people took us for MLC, Dharmendra has a brown shirt, until then he was in shirt so we had thought only his knees were hurt, but when in hospital for his injection I opened his shirt, because he was not even in this situation, not even in this condition that he could open his buttons
When I took off his shirt, his entire this entire arm was blue. He could not even move his hand even a little bit, they beat him so much. There were belt imprimnts all over the backs of both boys who are both aged 20 to 25.
He was beaten so badly that he was weeping with his hands folded in that situation, pleading, "Didi bacha lo, ye log jaan le lenge." Even when he came today, he couldn't walk. How can anyone beat someone like that? I mean, I can't even understand what her fault is.
When you went to file the report along with Ms. Brinda Karat as well, what did the police tell you, and what kind of assurances were given? Did the police give any legitimate reason as to why an FIR cannot be registered?
After a lot of effort—, Brinda Ma'am tried so much—that at least register the FIR, you asked for time, more than that time has already passed. After that, (SHO) Indrajeet says that there is no inspector, no officer, how can I register it? And until there is a senior, I cannot register it. So all of us, Saurabh (Das) also said the same thing, that the amount of time you asked for, you have already received it. The person who wants to get the complaint written has been present all night, it was with you, or we asked for time at night, you said fine, you need time, we gave you time. But even after that, they were not ready. Then we said that fine, you got the time you needed, and even after that, if the process is not happening, we will go ahead, they said : "Aap kar lijiye jo karna hai. Jo aapko samajh aata hai aap woh kar lijiye" So hearing such words, I was so astonished that what I had heard on TV until now—that you don't get justice—I saw it for myself for the first time.
Did they ask you for any video evidence?
I am demanding from the police that I have told you the time, I have given you the exact location, you should check the CCTV footage, where Delhi Police's camera persons are, it must have been captured somewhere, but Delhi Police is instead asking me for evidence. I have evidence, but until the FIR is registered, I will not give any such evidence.
What kind of protocols were followed after the arrest? The way you are saying that there was a scuffle with people, people were beaten very badly. What were the events after detention?
After detention, we were first trying that those who were beaten very badly, at least their MLC should be done in some way or the other. So the interesting thing in that was that the Delhi-Cantt police station took our people for MLC, and we thought okay fine, at least MLC is happening. After an hour and a half, two hours, these people come back and say that we were taken to the wrong hospital. I said, "Taken to the wrong hospital?"
They went there and these people said "iss hospital mein toh MLC hota hi nahin hai". Meaning the people at the police station—they are 2-star inspectors—don't even know which hospital to take people to for MLC. They took them for an hour and a half, two hours and brought them back from the hospital, got their first-aid done and brought them back. So they took them to that hospital to get first-aid and wasted an hour and a half there, and after that they are saying that they will take them for MLC now.
Then our advocates reached there, and after making sure everything is tried, we were taken to RML, so all of us got bail, but it had gotten late, it was 6:00, 6:30, 7:00 pm, so bail bonds had to be filled, a bail bond of 15,000 rupees had to be filled by each person, and when that couldn't be arranged, the police officials took us into custody for 24 hours and then we were sent to Tihar jail that very night.
We reached Tihar around 1:00 or 1:30 am, where a thorough checking happens, everything happens, we all go inside. One thing about Tihar is, there is so much hatred among people for cockroaches—they are so full of it—that if there is a protest on the 10th and people get detained and go to jail, mujhe lagta hai unki zindagi barbaad hai.
The police officers there have so much hatred for cockroaches that as soon as they heard we came from a protest, they didn't care whether we are journalists, from media, what the reason for the protest was, why we were doing it. Hearing "protest," they thought we were cockroaches, and as soon as they thought that, filthy abuses—I mean, there are abuses friends give each other, you take that and square it, cube it—there is no level to it, filthy abuses of that level are spoken there. T hey don't talk without slapping, they are slapping everywhere and giving abuses: "Cockroaches ho saale tum toh, just pop up from anywhere and start protesting, why are you doing this, what will you get from this, study, write, do a job, what is your age anyway," whatever filth they could speak, they did.
So then we went there at night. The condition of Tihar is very bad. Eight people were sent to Jail Number 4 and the five people to Jail Number 5, we were 13 people in total. So the place where we went, there is a hall and inside that one hall alone there were 550 people.
And to sleep late there, you cannot sleep with your legs straight. Your legs will touch someone or the other, and whoever they touch will thrash you right there, the condition was that bad.
So in just one night our condition was ruined upon seeing it, and 20, 21, 22, 23-year-old students were also with us. We thought Tihar jail is where serious criminals are sent, dangerous criminals are sent, why are students being sent there, why are media professionals being sent there? And we don't even have such a heinous crime, we were just demanding an FIR, we were detained from that protest and sent to Tihar.
So what was seen and endured there, the physical assault that happened to our people inside Tihar—the five people in jail number five were beaten inside Tihar as well. When we were released on October 6th, when we were coming out, at the time of coming out, such comments, such questions were asked that I can't even tell on camera, and they are harassing as much as they can through their questions, and at the end while leaving, they even slapped, hit many people. The 18-20-year-old students were beaten for no reason at all.
So such things were endured by our companions within 24 hours, which perhaps—even in half-murder or murder or I think even a victim of rape—they wouldn't show as much barbarity as was done to them just because they were protesters.
In the past few days, a lot of things have happened, many headlines have been made on this matter, there are many claims and counter-claims. What impact has this had on your personal life?
Personal life? Nothing is left. I am not able to sleep properly, I am not able to meet my family. I am not able to properly talk to anyone on a call, because the biggest difficulty is that when something wrong happens to a girl inside India, people think: "How is she alive? How is this girl breathing? Wrong has happened to her, she cannot laugh, she cannot speak openly." Just recently, within a short time, I saw that people are making videos saying: "Wrong has happened to this girl, look how she is laughing, look she is eating and drinking openly, she is putting on makeup openly"
I mean, do I not have a personal life? Do I not have my own desires? Now that something wrong has happened to me, should I keep mourning? I mean, I am raising my voice for myself, a girl is raising her voice for herself, and what are people noticing? They are making videos on it saying: "She was laughing at the time the incident happened." They want that if something wrong happens to a girl, she should keep crying, wailing, and how can this girl be so strong? If wrong had happened, she would be sitting in a corner. How is she raising her voice, how is she visiting the police station again and again? People's mentality—whether they are of my age or old age— everyone's mentality is so useless that they don't see that the girl is taking a stand for herself, a girl is raising her voice, they just see what she is wearing, how she is applying makeup after something wrong happened, she is laughing openly.
And because of this thing, I have reached a point where even now when I came here and when I was asked how I am, I felt scared that I answered with a smile "What will these people think, that she is smiling?"
I am not able to laugh openly, I am not able to talk openly, when I am going in front of family, I don't understand what to say in front of whom.
What kind of targeting is happening on social media? The kind of mindset there is towards female reporters, especially the women who put themselves out there. There is quite a lot of targeting happening on social media as well. What kind of challenges have you experienced as an independent woman journalist on the ground, especially when you do coverage in such situations?
Recently, the things that I have seen, the way questions are being raised against me—that I am working for name and fame, and when we work at the ground level and try to record something good amidst that crowd, you also know what kind of hard work it takes. And as a woman, when you are in a crowd, you have to maintain your safety, you also have to pay attention to which direction your clothes are going, what kind of people are around you, and after that when something like this happens, to prove yourself that no, I am not wrong. The way I am proving myself so far and the challenges I am facing—I am telling everyone everywhere that it is not my fault.
No one is questioning that person; everyone is saying that she is doing it for name and fame, she is a journalist, her followers weren't increasing so to increase followers I am getting DMs that "ab toh followers badh jayenge, 1 million toh ho hi jayenge."
No one is seeing that something wrong happened to a woman, and a man did it. I am not saying that you question that uniform. Yes, the uniform will be questioned because at that time that person was in uniform, but no one is questioning that person. Everyone is questioning me,
So this is a very big challenge for me that firstly something wrong happened to me and all the questions are being asked of me too. This could also be—everyone is telling me she is doing it for name and fame
It could also be that to gain sympathy that person is also doing this work, that they are being promoted and they denied it. No one is even thinking from this angle.
I am getting such disgusting DMs that "tujhse toh laakh guna sundar uski biwi hai, woh tujhe kyun touch karega?"
When a rapist commits rape, he doesn't see whether the girl is fair, dark, short, fat, fair, tall, he doesn't see anything. A rapist only rapes, and it doesn't matter which family he belongs to. A person with a rapist mindset can be anywhere. Why are so many questions being asked of me? Why are these challenges only for me, and not for that person?
Gajendra ji, your accounts have also been suspended. As an independent journalist, you used to run a platform named News Diggy, and your own account, Desiptrakar, has also been suspended. How do you view this entire suspension?
I feel that News Diggy has been targeted for a very long time. First in March, on 29th March, News Diggy's Instagram account was suspended, so we held a press conference, we made a lot of efforts to get the account back, and then it came back after a week.
And then when I was covering the CJP protest, it was suspended again on 12th July, and at that time there were around 6 lakh followers, and then since 12th July it hasn't come back.
And now we are continuously doing this coverage about Neha Bora and the protests against Gyanesh, and in between also, the things that are going on in this country, we keep covering them as independently as we can.
When I was in Tihar and when we were detained and sent there, the account was running when I went, but when I returned, the very first news I got upon coming was that my account has been restricted in India.
And what I was enduring is fine, but I felt that from 2017 to 2020, I completed my graduation, Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication from Indraprastha University, and I have been practicing journalism since 2022. It's been 4 years for me doing on-ground work, I am not a journalist born yesterday.
In 4 to 5 years, we build a page. We have to enter right into the middle of a crowd to pull out visuals. Several times, many times it happens that it feels like our breath will choke and we will faint and fall right there. We enter that crowd and pull out footage, and with so much hard work, reporting amidst years, months of rain, in the sun, in the heat, and we find out that in a single jerk, in one second, our account is suspended, restricted in India.
Our earning source, our way of earning our bread, our courage, our passion— that has been finished in a single jerk. Now look, the News Diggy account was suspended, the video journalists of News Diggy were sexually harassed, the founder of News Diggy—myself—was made to travel all the way to Tihar, ab main Tihari patrakar hun.
After that, when I came out, my account was suspended. So don't all these incidents show that I am being targeted? Don't all these incidents show that Delhi Police is personally playing a game with me? It has become personal in every way, this fight has become personal.
Why? Because we are not stopping, we are not bowing down. Whether we have money or not, whether we have money to eat or not, but we are working continuously, we are breaking stories continuously—and that is our crime. That is our mistake.
Many people came and told me that for the first time it has happened that 100-150 journalists are sitting on a protest against the police regarding something. It has not happened for years that journalists have come together for something, so it will sting, right? When a narrative is built across the country that 100, 150, 200 journalists are sitting on a dharna outside Parliament Street Police Station demanding an FIR be registered, and Delhi Police is being heavily criticized across the country and in international media, it will sting, right? So that person will be targeted too.
That is what I feel, I am suffering continuously, News Diggy is suffering continuously, Rosy is suffering, and I feel they don't even know what else they are going to do ahead, we don't know. Because the way we are being treated, the way back-to-back things are happening continuously—today also we were called to the Crime Branch, and the questions asked to Rosy, the entire background, everything about personal life, schooling, family, mom-dad, brother-sister, whatever they do, studies, organization, everything. It feels like the profiling of a criminal is being done.
Rosy ji, until this interview is published, whether an FIR happens or not, we will see, but if an FIR happens even then, what expectations do you have from the administration?
First of all, the way Delhi Police is behaving, I want to tell Delhi Police that I am not against Delhi Police.
Delhi Police has also done justice, delivered justice, that is why I am knocking on their door again and again, that is why I am going again and again for justice, for an FIR.
When I went to get the complaint written—when this incident happened with me and around 6:30 PM I went along with my woman journalist friends, the ones who are my friends, to get the complaint written. Whatever officers were there, the female officers who were present there, firstly she was asking me from what angle you were standing, what was happening, hands do get placed in a crowd, and one officer, a constable was saying that "look, it is cut, look, it is scratched". Some people touch our backs and go, some touch our breasts and go, we don't complain."
So I said, "Ma'am, the woman behind this uniform needs justice, you tell me, can you hold a protest demonstration? What can you do? I will support you, and all the people outside who are with me, they will all support you. Raise your voice. When you are in uniform and not raising your voice for yourself, then how will you get us justice?"
So she is saying, "No, these things are useless. This is not our job." I said, "Ma'am, then are you for your whole life. I am not saying all protesters who come are very good. Just like all officers are not the same, all protesters are not the same. If someone is doing you wrong, you should raise your voice, because until you raise your voice, how will you get us justice?"
She said, "These are useless things, we don't do this."
And after that, the change that I saw in Delhi Police—videos are coming continuously with Delhi Police, "no, to do this we can also do a lot of things, but we don't have this much free time."
No free time? Something wrong is happening to a woman, and they have power, they are in more power than us because they are in uniform, and the law is so hollow that it cannot get her justice, and she is telling me that "such things happen in a crowd, hands do get touched," so she is saying, "Yes, it might happen, its investigation will be done. Dekhte hain, kaun kitna sahi hai." So these things by female Delhi Police — although my courage didn't break, but perhaps if there were any other woman in my place, she would have gotten scared.