Mumbai Police on Friday dismissed allegations that a plainclothes police officer had manhandled a woman during a protest, saying a viral video circulating on social media was being wrongly interpreted. According to the police, the officer was attempting to restrain a male protester while carrying out law-and-order duties when a female protester inadvertently stepped between them. Officials said the footage did not support claims of misconduct after it was reviewed by senior officers.

The controversy erupted after Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad shared the video on social media, while NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar demanded action against the officer seen in the clip. In response, Mumbai Police issued a statement describing the allegations as “extremely irresponsible and incorrect” and urged public figures to verify facts before drawing conclusions from viral videos. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) Akbar Pathan also stated that the video had been thoroughly examined and confirmed the officer’s actions were consistent with managing the protest.

The incident occurred during a protest at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, where students and activists were demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over issues related to the alleged NEET-UG paper leak. Police dispersed the demonstrators after the protest intensified, with some participants falling during the operation. Authorities confirmed that no case has been registered against the police officer in connection with the allegations, maintaining that the available evidence does not indicate any misconduct.