The Congress party has reported that one of their candidates, Sushant Mishra, was allegedly attacked by an Election Commission official in Delhi. According to the party, this incident occurred on Saturday evening while Mishra was leading a padyatra, which is a type of march, in the Rithala Assembly area. The Congress claims that the official not only assaulted Mishra but also tried to halt the padyatra, despite the fact that the police had granted them permission to proceed. Following the incident, the party filed a formal complaint with the Chief Election Commissioner of India to address the matter.
Specifically, the alleged assault took place in Shyam Colony, Budh Vihar Phase-2, on January 25th. Sushant Mishra stated that a person, later identified as a member of an Election Commission flying squad, stopped the padyatra and then physically attacked him. Consequently, this event has caused concern about the behavior of election officials during campaign events. The Congress party is now calling for a complete and detailed investigation into what happened that evening.
कल रिठाला से कांग्रेस प्रत्याशी श्री सुशांत मिश्रा के साथ चुनाव आयोग के कुछ अधिकारियों ने दुर्व्यवहार किया, जिसके कारण उन्हें चोटें आई और अस्पताल में भर्ती भी होना पड़ा। हम इस घटना की कड़ी निंदा करते हैं : दिल्ली प्रदेश कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष श्री @devendrayadvinc जी pic.twitter.com/8z0yMCiRyn
— Delhi Congress (@INCDelhi) January 26, 2025
Moreover, the incident took place during a time of heightened political activity and many campaign events, increasing the worry about election integrity. “During the padyatra, a person later identified as an Election Commission flying squad official stopped me and attacked me,” explained Sushant Mishra, the Congress candidate. The Congress party considers this event a significant breach of conduct and is requesting immediate action be taken against those involved. The Election Commission has not yet made a statement in response to these serious allegations.
#WATCH | Delhi: On the alleged assault incident on him, Congress candidate from Rithala assembly constituency Sushant Mishra says, "… We (Congress) were taking out a padyatra with permission. Suddenly Election Commission officials came there who did not introduce themselves at… pic.twitter.com/rMZEiyvJrc
— ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2025