Jaipur, October 20 — Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday joined a Congress delegation led by state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra at the Jaipur Police Commissionerate, demanding registration of a Zero FIR over the alleged assault on NSUI National Secretary Ritu Barala by female police personnel during a protest in Delhi, ANI reported. The assault is an allegation that has not been established by any court or inquiry.

Gehlot said registering a Zero FIR was mandatory in cases involving specific offences against women under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and that police officials could not refuse to register such complaints. 'The concept of a Zero FIR already existed, though different state governments implemented it in their own ways. In the BNS, this government has deliberately included specific provisions for cases involving women — such as outraging a woman's modesty, issuing threats, causing grievous hurt, committing acts that could lead to untoward incidents, or mistreating a woman. In such cases, registering a Zero FIR is mandatory; officials cannot refuse to record it,' Gehlot said, according to ANI.

He also criticised the functioning of the Rajasthan Police, alleging that senior officials were under pressure: 'The Police Commissioner seems to have effectively vanished, and the Director General (DG) is also operating under immense pressure. The state of the police force here is truly pathetic — a fact that became starkly evident during the municipal elections.'

ANI noted the controversy follows allegations of police brutality against NSUI activists during protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi.

Separately, Nation Press reported that Congress leader Sachin Pilot has demanded FIR registration, a full investigation and strict action after Barala alleged police brutality in Delhi and was unable to file a complaint; according to that report, Barala first met Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and, on his suggestion, travelled to Rajasthan to file the complaint there, while Dotasra and senior party functionaries Rafeek Khan, Sunil Sharma, Amin Kagzi and Vinod Jakhar joined a protest sit-in over the blocked FIR.

Sources: ANI (via LatestLY, October 20, 2026) and Nation Press (October 20, 2026).