Muslim journalists allege Delhi police assault after questioning Amit Shah, CM

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Shaheen Khan and Nafisa Khan say they were detained after covering event: Allege police violence worsened after their Muslim identity became known: Press bodies demand independent investigation

2026-09-04T14:13:00+05:00 News Desk

Two Muslim women journalists have alleged that they were detained and assaulted by Delhi Police after attending an event involving Indian Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Friday.

Freelance journalist Shaheen Khan and her colleague Nafisa Khan said they were covering an event at Max Hospital in Saket when police detained them and took them to the Saket Police Station on Thursday, September 3.

According to accounts reported by Indian media – The Wire, India Today, The Jamia Times, 4pm News Network, and Digipub – the journalists said they were taken to the police station after asking questions of the chief minister (CM) and home minister. They alleged that police personnel assaulted them inside the station.

In a video report shared by the 4pm News Network, Shaheen Khan showed bruises on her arm and other marks that she said were caused during the alleged assault. Her colleague Nafisa Khan was shown in severe pain and appearing close to losing consciousness, with red marks visible on her thigh.

Shaheen Khan alleged that the police asked for her name after she and her colleague had been assaulted. She said that when she identified herself as Shaheen Khan and disclosed that she was Muslim, the violence became more severe.

Images and videos shared on social media later appeared to show Nafisa Khan being carried from the police station by people known to her because she was apparently unable to walk. Other footage circulated online appeared to show Ms Shaheen Khan lying unconscious on the floor of the police station.

The Wire, an Indian news organisation, reported the allegations in detail, including the journalists' account of what happened at the Saket police station. It reported that Shaheen Khan's video showed injuries suffered by both journalists and the condition of Nafisa Khan after the assault.

Sanjay Sharma, editor-in-chief of 4pm News Network, questioned whether the incident was linked to the channel's recent coverage of the Delhi government and its reporting on Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.

Sharma said the channel had recently been raising questions and publishing reports concerning the Delhi government. He questioned whether asking questions of senior political leaders had become a crime and whether a journalist's surname could become a reason for assault.

Digital news organisation Digipub also condemned the reported police action. It said asking questions of people in power was a basic part of journalism and democratic accountability, and journalists should be able to carry out their work without fear, intimidation or discrimination.

The organisation called for an independent investigation, the preservation of CCTV footage from the police station and accountability for those responsible if wrongdoing was established.

Several major Indian press organisations, including the Press Club of India, the Indian Women's Press Corps, the Delhi Union of Journalists, the Press Association and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists, also condemned the assault.

In a joint statement, the organisations said the journalists had alleged that they were taken away by police after asking the two political leaders a question and that the alleged assault became worse after officers established their religious identity.

The press bodies said the journalists had alleged that, after they entered the police station, the station house officer instructed police officials to take them to a room where women officers also joined in the assault.

They further said the journalists alleged that they were threatened with criminal cases and subjected to verbal abuse, including remarks directed at their religious identity.

The organisations called on Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar to order a fair investigation into the conduct of the officers involved. They also urged the Press Council of India to take notice of the incident and conduct an independent inquiry into an attempt to suppress press freedom.

Opposition political parties, including the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, also condemned the reported incident and called for action against any police officials found responsible. AAP leader Somnath Bharti was among those who criticised the alleged treatment of the journalists.

India Today reported on Friday that the two independent journalists had alleged that they were detained and assaulted inside a police station after seeking to question Chief Minister Rekha Gupta while covering an event.

The report said the journalists alleged that police officers asked about their religion and assaulted them after learning that they were Muslims. Delhi Police, however, rejected the allegations, describing them as factually incorrect and misleading.

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