India, Aug. 5 -- The Pune police have denied allegations of caste-based abuse and assault by officers during a raid at a residence in Kothrud, even as the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) demanded immediate action, including the registration of a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The controversy stems from an incident earlier this week in which three young women - social workers - accused Kothrud police personnel of forcibly entering their home, illegally detaining them, using casteist slurs, and physically assaulting them. The women alleged that the police targeted them for helping another woman in distress.

The allegations triggered political reactions and protests, with Congress and...