On Saturday, 17 October 2026, a procession of women's organisations and activists converged on Delhi Police Headquarters to call for charges to be brought against officers alleged to have sexually assaulted and harassed women and transgender participants during protests directed at the Election Commission of India.

Carrying placards and banners, members of women's organisations assembled to register their opposition to what they identified as sexual and gender-based violence attributed to police personnel, while simultaneously urging Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to vacate his post over what the groups described as irregularities in the conduct of elections.

The procession set out from the vicinity of Gurudwara Bangla Sahib and made its way to the headquarters, where a memorandum was formally submitted calling for accountability over reported acts of sexualised and gendered violence against participants in the protests. The organisations behind the appeal urged that those found responsible face disciplinary and legal consequences in accordance with the law.

Through an official communiqué, the coalitions reported that video footage, photographs, and first-hand testimony had captured instances of alleged sexual harassment and physical assault targeting women, transgender individuals, and non-binary protesters in the course of law enforcement operations beginning 20 July, with the volume of such accounts growing notably from 2 October onward.

Video evidence presented by the group purportedly captured male officers physically attacking women taking part in the protests, with additional accounts pointing to sexual violence having taken place aboard detention vehicles and within holding facilities.

A reporter working in journalism came forward with an account of sexual harassment directed at her by a police officer holding the rank of Assistant Commissioner. The organisations further alleged that when she attempted to lodge a complaint, she was taken into custody and a case was filed against her and others, with the joint statement describing the actions as part of a broader pattern by authorities aimed at removing women from political and public life.

These organisations further contended that those taking part in the demonstrations had been subjected to abuse rooted in caste, religious community, and gender, while also holding the authorities responsible for neither preventing nor addressing such conduct.

Among its provisions, the memorandum urged accountability for those found to bear responsibility, pressed for an end to the practice of allowing sexual assault to go unpunished, and affirmed that women and gender-diverse individuals hold the right to engage in public and political life free from intimidation.

Among the organising bodies behind the demonstration were multiple women's and student groups — AIDWA (All India Democratic Women's Association), NFIW (National Federation of Indian Women), AIPWA (All India Progressive Women's Association), AIMSS (All India Mahila Sanskritik Sangathan), Collective, ALIFA (All India Feminist Alliance), AICCWW (All India Coordination Committee of Working Women), Pragatisheel Mahila Sangathan, and Purogami Mahila Sangathan.