Why no action against Gujarat cops publicly flogging minority youth? Asks petition

By Our Representative
An email petition, floated by Mujahid Nafees, convener, Minority Coordination Committee (MCC), Gujarat, addressed to Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel, has wondered why till now no action has been taken against the police personnel responsible for publicly flogging three youth belonging to the minority community.
Referring to the incident, which took place in village Undhela, Matar taluka, Kheda district, the petition, endorsed by several human rights activists, says, there is lack of action despite the fact that video clips/ images and newspaper reports of an incident that occurred on 3rd / 4th October, 2022 of public flogging by police personnel of those held for allegedly pelting stone/s at garba venue.”
The petition states, according to reports, an argument over the location of a garba event in the village spiralled into violence with Muslim residents objecting to holding the programme near the village mosque. “An FIR was registered against the alleged Muslim miscreants for the alleged violence”, it says.
A day later, according to the petition, the videos which emerged a day later, and going rounds, shows the police personnel brought the arrested persons din a police van near the event venue, where the altercation over garba was held. They were taken near an electric pole where one police personnel pulls them by their hands and another beat them mercilessly: all of this while the crowd around cheered the police brutality.

Bhupendra Patel, Mujahid Nafees

Regretting that no action has been taken/initiated till date, only an inquiry committee of Ahmedabad IG has been ordered after a legal notice sent to top Gujarat government authorities, the petition says, “This is in complete violation of all rights of those flogged by those responsible for the maintaining law and order.”
Stating that what happened in Undhela village is “open and brazen violation” not only against the protected rights under Article 21 but against the whole “constitutional spirit of a civilized society”, the petition says, it violates international law and conventions to which India is a signatory, especially for eschewing all forms of torture, the Supreme Court judgement in the DK Basu case and Article 141 of the Constitution.
Pointing out that “there is no section in any police manual or Indian penal code that allows police to indiscriminately assault citizens”, the petition demands, that the police department should file FIR against the police personnel involved in flogging, the accused police personnel should be suspended and arrested, and the victims paid compensation.

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