On October 4, a convoy of National Students' Union of India activists approached Parliament Street, but Delhi Police detained them inside buses, halting the march.
A Delhi University student, later dubbed "Sherni" by Gandhi, alleged that Constable Chanchal Yadav grabbed her by the neck, scratched her face, slapped her hard, and left visible cuts; she also claimed to have been kicked in a private part and now has a hearing impairment in one ear.
Another protester, Dharmendra, recounted that police beat him and a colleague in Parliament Street station, with Constable Ankit Kasana forcing them to vomit into a bag while threatening that the protest prevented them from sleeping.
At a press conference on October 14, Rahul Gandhi urged the police to act "dil se, pyaar se," demanded video evidence from students, and vowed to punish those involved, naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Amit Shah, and the constables as targets of the forthcoming legal action. He asked if anyone was afraid, to which the crowd responded "Nahi, sir."
The protest has drawn criticism from opposition parties, with satirical account Rami Verma claiming he was detained under the influence of Bajrang Dal and RSS cadres. Police have denied the allegations and said they were maintaining public order, but the opposition insists a court hearing in November will investigate the force used.