Comedian Raunaq Rajani has accused a police officer of assaulting his wife during a protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on July 22. According to Rajani, the officer kicked his wife while they were being detained, causing a rib fracture that was confirmed later through an X-ray.
The protest was organised in support of the nationwide demonstrations led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). Protesters were demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak and alleged irregularities in the examination process.
Videos shared to support allegations
Rajani shared several videos on social media, claiming they captured the events before and after the alleged assault. He said the footage shows police detaining protesters, his interaction with officers, and what happened inside the police vehicle after he and his wife were taken into custody.
According to Rajani, the situation began when police detained a young protester. He and his wife questioned the officers while recording the incident on their phones.
“So it starts with this kid getting detained and both of us were telling the cops that they do not have the right to do so. Now, he’s trying to get to me. While we are out here filming the cops doing this shameful illegal activity, keep an eye on the man in khaki uniform coming towards me. So this is how he got me down,” Rajani said.
Rajani claims officer kicked his wife
Rajani said that during the struggle, he tried to ensure his wife was safe by asking her to hold his hand.
“So, at this point, I want to make sure my wife doesn’t get hurt. So, I’m asking her to hold my hand. Now, as you saw in the other video, once we were on the floor, the man in khaki entered,” he said.
He then made his main allegation, claiming the police officer deliberately kicked his wife.
“And now, he kicks my wife and separates her hands. Watch it again, see his leg movement,” Rajani alleged while asking viewers to closely examine the video.
He also claimed that another officer, whom he identified as wearing a red shirt, forcefully pushed his wife into the police vehicle while they were being detained.
Couple says they were injured during detention
Rajani said he and his wife were among the protesters detained by police on July 22. He alleged that officers used excessive force while placing them inside the police vehicle.
According to him, he suffered a neck sprain, while his wife experienced severe pain in her ribs.
“Hi, my wife’s rib has been fractured because of the protests in Mumbai. It was fractured by a policeman. On 22nd July 2026, my wife and I were detained by the police while they were illegally rounding up people at the Shivaji Park protest. You might have seen pictures of both of us in the cop van. They shoved us in with brute force. I ended up having a sprain on my neck. She ended up having pain in her ribs,” Rajani said.
Injury confirmed after medical examination
Rajani said they did not immediately realise how serious the injury was because they believed many other protesters had suffered more severe police action during the demonstrations.
The couple travelled to Delhi the next day. However, when his wife’s pain did not improve after returning, doctors advised an X-ray. Rajani said the medical examination confirmed that she had suffered a fractured rib.
“We didn’t make a big deal out of it because, honestly, people have been through so much worse in terms of police brutality in the last week… We were like, fine, this is what it is. And, we went away to Delhi the next day. She came back. The pain was not reducing. So we went to a doctor who said she should get an X-ray, and she has a fracture. Now, I have video footage to show you what exactly happened,” he said.