Jaipur police commissionerate protest continues as Congress presses for Zero FIR over NSUI assault

Congress leaders in Rajasthan spent a second day demonstrating inside the Jaipur Police Commissionerate on Tuesday, maintaining an overnight sit-in to demand criminal charges against a Delhi Police woman constable accused of assaulting a student wing worker.

State party chief Govind Singh Dotasra, Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully, and several legislators remained inside the administrative compound after sleeping in its corridor overnight. Outside, police tightened security, shut the main entry gates, and set up barricades to maintain order as party cadres gathered along the perimeter.

What sparked the Jaipur protest

The standoff follows a formal complaint lodged by Ritu Barala, a leader of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) from Rajasthan. Barala claimed that constable Chanchal Yadav assaulted her inside a police vehicle in New Delhi on 13 October, during a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

According to Barala, the constable grabbed her neck, pushed her onto a seat, and scratched her face while detained protesters were being transported. Congress leaders first approached the Moti Dungri police station on Monday evening. When officers accepted the complaint without immediately filing a formal first information report (FIR), the delegation marched directly to the commissionerate.

Party leaders argued that state authorities have an established statutory duty to file a Zero FIR and transfer the inquiry to the appropriate jurisdiction in the capital.

"There cannot be two sets of laws in the country," Dotasra said, insisting that party functionaries would remain on the premises until a case is formally registered.

Political friction over street agitation

The sit-in comes as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party sharply questioned the opposition's political focus, contrasting street agitations across state capitals with the absence of senior Congress leadership. Following demonstrations in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi departed on a four-day personal visit to Vietnam.

BJP spokespersons pointed to a recurring pattern of senior opposition leaders travelling abroad immediately after launching campaigns, arguing that sustained institutional administration and public order are disrupted while leadership remains absent. Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal rejected the criticism, describing the visit as a brief personal hiatus ahead of scheduled opposition demonstrations on 1 November.

Inside the Jaipur commissionerate, administrative officers maintained that routine security protocols remained enforced at the headquarters. While senior opposition figures were permitted inside to hold discussions with senior police officers, authorities restricted larger gatherings to the road outside to prevent interference with daily law enforcement operations.