Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently brought national attention to the high-profile detention and alleged mistreatment of two prominent National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) leaders, affectionately calling them “Lionesses.”
Allegations of police brutality during protests
Ritu Barala, hailing from the deserts of Rajasthan, and Athira, coming from the southern state of Kerala, have commanded widespread attention for their fearless stance against police action. Here is the full story of their journeys, struggles, and the incident that thrust them into the spotlight. Police detained the group during the demonstration. Assault in transit : Ritu alleged that female police officers targeted her inside the transport bus, pulling her hair, attempting to choke her, and striking her face.
Ritu Barala shared a harrowing account of the events of October 11, when she, Athira, and other students staged a demonstration at Connaught Place Gate No. 7 during the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march. Detention center violence : Inside the station, she claimed that between 7 and 10 police personnel and officers in civil dress subjected them to physical abuse with batons and fists, tore their clothes, and beat their legs mercilessly.
Coming from a modest farming and business family in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, Ritu Barala had no family ties to politics. In 2016, she took her first steps into student activism by contesting elections for the NSUI at Maharani College in Jaipur, later running for president of Rajasthan University.
