Archive · 3 Sep 2026
Delhi Police Questions Ex-Bureaucrat Ashish Joshi Over Posts
Delhi Police questioned former official Ashish Joshi about things he posted online.
Police said the posts were related to the Election Commission of India.
They said a case had been registered under a law about statements that could provoke a riot.
Police sources said Joshi was questioned to check whether his claims were accurate.
He spent about nine hours at the Special Cell office.
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said Joshi had been taken away during a morning walk and that people were worried about his whereabouts.
Police said Joshi was picked up in Chanakyapuri, while Dikshit said it happened at Nehru Park there.
Joshi was later released and police drove him home after people gathered outside the office.
Joshi also said he would provide more details later.
Delhi Police’s Special Cell questioned former bureaucrat Ashish Joshi for about nine hours on Wednesday.
Police said the questioning concerned social media posts about the Election Commission of India and a case under Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police sources said Joshi was questioned to verify claims in his posts and was released after the claims were checked.
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said Joshi had been taken away during a morning walk and that his family initially could not trace him.
Joshi was released in the evening and posted that the Delhi Special Cell had dropped him home; the exact pickup location differed between accounts.
- Who
- Former bureaucrat Ashish Joshi was questioned by the Delhi Police Special Cell; Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit raised concerns about his whereabouts.
- What
- Police questioned Joshi about social media posts, allegedly concerning the Election Commission of India, in a case under Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
- When
- Wednesday; police sources said he was brought in around 10:30 a.m. and released around 7 p.m., two days after the case was registered.
- Where
- The questioning took place at the Counter Intelligence unit of the Special Cell in New Friends Colony, Delhi. Police sources said he was picked up in Chanakyapuri, while Sandeep Dikshit said it occurred at Nehru Park in Chanakyapuri.
- Why
- Police said they questioned Joshi to verify claims in his social media posts after registering a case under Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police account
Public concern and Joshi’s account
Reason for questioning
Police account
Police sources said Joshi was questioned in connection with a case registered under Section 192 after posts about the Election Commission of India, and that officers were verifying his claims.
Public concern and Joshi’s account
Sandeep Dikshit said Joshi had been taken away over a recent tweet, while Joshi said after returning home that he would provide details later.
Pickup location and transparency
Police account
Police sources said Joshi was picked up from Chanakyapuri and taken to the Special Cell’s Counter Intelligence office in New Friends Colony.
Public concern and Joshi’s account
Dikshit said two policemen took Joshi from Nehru Park during his morning walk and that his family initially could not trace him.
Release and safety
Police account
Police sources said Joshi was released after his claims were verified, and an Additional Commissioner of Police arranged to take him home for his safety.
Public concern and Joshi’s account
People gathered outside the office seeking Joshi’s release, reflecting concerns about his whereabouts during the questioning.
- Person questioned
- Ashish Joshi, a former Controller of Communications in the Department of Telecommunications and a 1992-batch Indian Post and Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service officer
- Police unit
- Delhi Police Special Cell’s Counter Intelligence unit
- Questioning duration
- Approximately nine hours
- Legal provision
- Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, concerning provocation with intent or knowledge that it is likely to cause a riot
- Subject of posts
- Social media posts allegedly concerning the Election Commission of India
- Reported timing
- Joshi was reportedly brought in around 10:30 a.m. and released around 7 p.m. on Wednesday
- Release
- Police personnel dropped Joshi home after people gathered outside the Counter Intelligence office
