New Delhi: Issuing a notice to the city police, the Delhi Commission for Women on Saturday ordered an inquiry into alleged attacks on women by cops during the recent violence at Ramjas College. In the notice to the joint commissioner of police (central range), it said "these attacks on women protesters by policemen may also amount to molestation and (the guilty cops) need to be severely punished".DCW chief Swati Maliwal later tweeted, "DCW has set up inquiry into police brutality in Ramjas, issued notice. Appeal all students/proff to send complaints at livingpositive@gmail.com."Meanwhile, the commission said it was "deeply dismayed at the recent developments in Delhi University". "The commission has come across shocking video footage and news reports wherein Delhi Police officers are seen mercilessly beating and punching women protesters," it stated."The image of Delhi Police officers beating and misbehaving with women protesters are resonating across Delhi and India and have severely damaged the image of Delhi Police. It is a classic case of protectors turning abusers," Maliwal said. "Further, the commission is aghast to read newspaper reports alleging that Delhi Police claims it does not know who ordered the lathicharge on the protesters. Such statements raise suspicions about politicisation of the Delhi Police and the matter needs to be investigated urgently."She recalled "a similar incident occurred in Delhi last year when peaceful women protesters for the missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed were manhandled by the Delhi Police." Maliwal said, "It is a matter of great shame that to date, no FIR has been registered against the police officer on allegations of molestation during the protest by a woman."She alleged that the erstwhile Delhi Police commissioner, despite requests of the commission, chose to turn a blind eye to the incident. "The recent incident in Delhi University appears to be a direct fallout of Delhi Police refusing to fix responsibility and take strict action against its officers," she said.The commission has sought by March 4, the "number of police officers (male and female separately) deployed in and around Ramjas College and Moris Nagar police station for the said protests, names and designations of the police officers clearly identifiable in the videos and photographs—who were seen punching and manhandling women protesters—and the action taken against each one of them". DCW has also sought to know the process undertaken by police before ordering a lathicharge on protesters and copies of all standing orders/ rules in this regard. The commission has also sought copies of FIRs and complaints, if any, registered in the matter.

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