Comedian Raunaq Rajani has accused Mumbai Police of using excessive force during the Shivaji Park protest, alleging that his wife suffered a fractured rib after she was pushed and kicked by a policeman while they were being detained.
On July 26, the comedian shared a video on social media, claiming it captures the moments leading up to the alleged assault and the incident inside the police vehicle.
“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 cops 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,” he said.
Rajani said they did not initially think the injuries were serious, as they believed others had faced far worse during the protests.
“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 that we were like, fine, this is what it is. 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.”
The comedian then shared several clips, claiming they documented the sequence of events.
“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 further alleged that his wife was forcefully handled while trying to intervene. He claimed another officer, whom he identified as wearing red, pushed her into the police vehicle.
“This was supposed to be done by a lady cop. He’s using his entire body to shove her in. Then they tried to detain another innocent boy and they’re shoving him at her because they couldn’t.”
Rajani alleged that the injury occurred after they were inside the police bus.
“So, as you probably heard, a lady cop even said, but this man in red clothes came back and now see how he shoves my wife. Now, the same cop who pinned me to the ground, the one in khaki, he enters. Now, show this exact thing from inside the bus, and then you will see how the man in khaki kicked my wife on the rib.”
He also said he had tried to shield his wife during the incident.
“So, at this point, I want to make sure my wife doesn’t get any 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 enters.”
“And now, he kicks my wife and separates her hands. Watch it again, see his leg movement.”
Rajani criticised the alleged police action against protesters and said he expects the matter to be investigated.
“Now, this nationwide protest has started only because the government has misused the police machinery and used it to beat up innocent protesters. And when we stood up for that exact cause in Mumbai, the police instead of pulling back tried to double down and do the same shit on us. We don’t pay our fucking taxes so the police can beat us up.”
He added that the couple has already approached Shivaji Park Police Station and is waiting for senior officers so they can formally register an FIR.
“They’re supposed to protect us. We have filed a complaint in Shivaji Park Police Station. We are waiting for them to call us back so we can do an FIR.”
“They told us to wait till a senior comes. There were no seniors in the police station yesterday. So, we’re waiting for the senior to come so we can file an FIR against this guy and this guy in red. So please, Mumbai Police, I hope you take this as seriously as I am.”
Mumbai Police had not responded to Rajani’s allegations.
