Mumbai:
The young woman assaulted by policewomen in a video that has gone viral says she was attacked for standing in the VIP queue for a glimpse of Mumbai's most popular Ganesh idol.
"I was beaten continuously for half an hour and after I was taken to the police station, it continued for one more hour," Nandini Goswami told NDTV.
Two of the policewomen in the video have been suspended.
Nandini said since she was a child, she had never missed a single darshan or sighting of the giant Ganesha idol popularly known as "Lalbaughcha Raja" in central Mumbai. It was one of the city's most popular destinations during the 10-day Ganesh festival that ended on Sunday.
"The argument started when we were standing in the VIP queue...there were many like us who didn't have VIP passes. After sometime, a huge crowd started entering through the VIP entrance as the doors were open. When we entered, two-three policemen caught us and said you can't go in. They started pushing us," Nandini says.
"My mother's clothes were torn...I got angry and started shouting at the police saying they can't behave like this. Then the constables lost their temper and started hitting us...we could not do anything. My mind went blank."
In mobile phone video, Nandini is slapped, pushed around and dragged by at least three policewomen. The blows keep coming as she tries to shield herself.
What could not be seen in the video was how Nandini's parents desperately tried to protect her.
Some policemen had suggested that Nandini was mentally unstable, which she brushed aside.
"The police said I have depression and other problems...But I am perfectly fine," she said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered an investigation based on the mobile phone video.