MUMBAI: Mumbai Police has issued a clarification regarding a viral video circulating on social media that purportedly shows a police official inappropriately touching a woman protester during a demonstration by CJP protesters.Varsha Gaikwad shared a viral video criticizing the Mumbai Police for alleged manhandling and inappropriate touching of a female protestor by a male cop during a demonstration.The footage shows a male police officer aggressively handling and inappropriately touching a young woman, sparking widespread outrage.In a statement shared with the media, the police said the video was being “irresponsibly misinterpreted” and asserted that the footage had been thoroughly examined by senior officers. Leaders including Varsha Gaikwad, Rohit Pawar, and others strongly condemned the police action and called for strict measures against the personnel involved.According to the clarification, the official was attempting to restrain a male protester when a woman stepped in between them while the officer was looking away. Police maintained that the contact seen in the video was inadvertent and occurred in the course of trying to hold the male protester.“Senior officers have verified all the facts and minutely assessed the video to derive the facts,” the statement said.The clarification was issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Mumbai Police, amid social media criticism over the video. The police have maintained that there was no deliberate act of misconduct by the officer seen in the footage.Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad said posted on X “What is this behaviour Mumbai Police? Why is a male cop manhandling a young female protestor like this? Why isn’t he letting his female colleagues handle this? What action will be taken against him? This is unacceptable ‘’
