CJP Delhi protest: Filmmaker alleges harassment, claims ‘BJP-backed goons broke camera lens’, shares video as ‘proof’

Independent filmmaker Nihit, 23, alleged that a group of 10 to 15 people harassed him and broke his camera lens while he filmed a protest in Delhi’s Connaught Place on October 10 amid CJP's protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

Independent filmmaker Nihit, 23, has alleged that he was harassed by a group of people he described as “BJP-backed goons” during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)'s protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi on October 10. He also claimed that one of them forcibly pulled his camera lens, breaking it, and shared a video on social media that he said showed the incident.

In a video shared on Instagram, Nihit said, “BJP goons harassed me and broke my camera.”

(LiveMint could not verify the authenticity of the video)

Quick answers to key questions

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QUESTIONS

Nihit alleged that a group harassed him while he was filming and that one person grabbed his camera lens and pulled it apart. He identified the person as Gaurav Hindu.

Nihit said the incident happened outside a Starbucks outlet in Connaught Place, where he was documenting the CJP protest.

Nihit said police asked whether he had permission to film, then gave him paper to write down what happened. He said they told him his complaint had been filed and they would follow up on Monday.

No. The article said LiveMint could not verify the authenticity of the video Nihit shared on Instagram.

Nihit said the lens was essential to his work as a filmmaker and a means of his livelihood. He also said he was unsure whether he had the financial and emotional resources to pursue the complaint further.

He also recounted the incident in a detailed account shared with LiveMint.

According to Nihit, he was documenting the protest when he noticed a group creating a commotion and turned his camera towards them. He alleged that the people began abusing and harassing him, following which he moved away from the spot.

However, one person allegedly followed him and grabbed his camera lens. "He grabbed onto my lens, and he pulled so hard that the lens came apart," Nihit claimed, identifying the person as Gaurav Hindu.

He further claimed that between 10 and 15 people surrounded him while he was filming the events, noting although the number could have been higher. He subsequently moved towards a group of independent journalists sitting nearby, following which they intervened and the people allegedly left.

The incident took place outside a Starbucks outlet in Connaught Place, he said.

What happened after Nihit approached Delhi Police?

Nihit said he subsequently went to the Connaught Place Police Station to report the incident. However, he claimed that the police initially asked whether he had permission to film at the location.

He said the officers then handed him a piece of paper and asked him to write down the details of what had happened. According to Nihit, the police informed him that his complaint had been filed and that they would follow up on Monday.

"I went to Connaught Place Police Station. The police asked if I had permission to shoot. Then they gave me a piece of paper and told me to write the entire incident. They said they filed my complaint and they will follow up on Monday," he recalled .

'I don't know if I have financial and mental strength to pursue this further'

Nihit said he was unsure whether he had the financial and emotional resources to pursue the complaint, noting that the damaged camera lens was essential to his work.

“I’m not sure regarding my next step to be honest. My father is a member of RSS. He does not want me to go further with this case. He thinks it’s my fault that I went there. I have absolutely no support from my family,” the filmmaker said.

He added, “I'm just 23 year old filmmaker who was trying to make a documentary film. I don't know if I have the financial and mental strength to pursue this further. The lens was a means of my livelihood.”

A force of 41,000 security personnel was deployed across the national capital on Saturday to prevent a planned protest demanding the resignation of Kumar. The extensive security clampdown resulted in 7,000 detentions and left several parts of Delhi deserted.

About the Author

Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X