Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas alleges, in a letter to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, that he was dragged, detained and assaulted by Delhi Police and CRPF personnel while speaking to journalists during a protest over Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and wants a court-supervised investigation. The allegations are untested.
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New Delhi: Asking for judicial intervention through an independent, court-supervised investigation, Rajya Sabha MP and CPI(M) leader John Brittas has written to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, alleging that Delhi Police and CRPF personnel manhandled, detained and assaulted him in the Connaught Place area on Sunday while he was speaking to journalists.
He has asked for the letter to be placed before an appropriate Bench of the Supreme Court. What follows is Brittas’s own account and is untested; the letter carries no response from Delhi Police or the CRPF, and the allegations against them have not been adjudicated.
Background
The letter ties the incident to the Supreme Court’s directions, issued the same day, that peaceful protesters should not be illegally detained. Brittas states that the previous day several opposition leaders, including former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, were detained. A Bench of Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana is hearing petitions on the alleged detentions during the October 10 protests and has listed them on October 13, with the Union disputing the allegations.
What He Says Happened
According to Brittas, it happened at around 12.30 PM, when Delhi Police and CRPF personnel dragged him for about 50 metres as he spoke to journalists, even though he repeatedly told them he is a sitting Member of Parliament. He alleges that he was then lifted and carried to a police vehicle, where he was pinned to the seat and assaulted. By his account, he was left on the roadside after a Deputy Commissioner of Police ordered his release, having found the detention completely unlawful. He states that he has several recordings made by journalists and bystanders.
“forcibly manhandled and dragged me for approximately 50 metres”
“The assault continued even after I identified myself as a Member of Parliament.”
What He Wants The Court To Do
What Brittas wants is an independent investigation supervised by the Court, either through a Special Investigation Team of officers unconnected with the Delhi Police and CRPF personnel involved or by another independent agency the Court considers appropriate. He asks that every personnel member involved and their role be identified, that the responsibility of supervisory officers be examined, and that the legal basis for his removal, the alleged assault and his release be determined.
A time-bound status report to the Court is also sought, along with preservation of evidence, including unedited video, vehicle and deployment records, duty rosters, wireless and control-room logs, and detention and release records. He refers to the possibility of the Court taking cognisance or proceedings under Article 32.
He describes the treatment as that of a sitting Member of Parliament being hauled away like an object, and writes that the matter calls for urgent judicial scrutiny.
The allegations are those of the MP, are untested, and no view is expressed on their merits. The presumption of regularity of official action and the right of the personnel concerned to respond remain.
Letter Details: Letter from Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, seeking judicial intervention over the alleged assault and detention of October 11, 2026. No case number or listing date yet.