Ranchi:
A 24-year-old woman from Jharkhand who was injured during the police crackdown on the Cockroach Janta Party‘s (CJP) “Chalo Sansad” protest in Delhi has described the moments she says left her with an injury so severe that her right ear was “almost severed”.
Nutan Toppo recounted the July 20 protest at Jantar Mantar, where thousands of students and supporters had gathered to demand the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over irregularities in national examinations, including the NEET-UG paper leak controversy.
Toppo, a resident of Jharkhand’s Gumla district, said she had travelled to Delhi on July 20 to participate in the student demonstration. She was living in Gurgaon at the time, working in a software company while also preparing for competitive examinations.
She said she had joined the protest to support students and raise their concerns. According to Toppo, events escalated around 3.30 pm when police moved against student protesters. She alleged that officers fired tear gas, deployed water cannons and carried out a lathicharge, triggering panic among the protesters.
Toppo said she fled the protest site and headed towards Rajiv Chowk. According to her, many students later regrouped there and resumed their protest. It was during this second phase, she said, that she suffered the injury which changed the course of the day.
‘Sounded Like Gunfire’
Recounting the moments before she was injured, Toppo said she noticed several police personnel moving towards the students.
She then heard what she described as a sound resembling gunfire.
“Suddenly there was a sound like gunfire,” she said.
Almost immediately afterwards, she sustained a serious injury to her right ear. Toppo said she still does not know what caused the wound. She said she remains uncertain whether the injury resulted from a pellet gun, a bullet or some other object.
“I still don’t know what hit me,” she said.
Two-Hour Surgery
According to Toppo, fellow students rushed her to Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital following the incident. She said doctors operated on her for around two hours.
“My right ear was almost severed,” she claimed.
Following surgery, she said she was discharged after receiving first aid before travelling back to Ranchi for further treatment.
Toppo was admitted to Global Hospital in Ranchi on July 27 for furthr treatment. On Tuesday, Kumar Raja, Ranchi Congress Metropolitan President, accompanied her from the hospital to the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress office, where she addressed the media.
Allegations Against Police
During her interaction with reporters, Toppo alleged that a significant number of police personnel deployed during the demonstration were dressed in plain clothes.
She further claimed that many officers wearing uniforms did not have visible nameplates.
