A shocking viral video reveals how eight men were brutally assaulted by the Uttar Pradesh police in custody. Incidentally, these were the same men who were released by a local court in Saharanpur due to lack of evidence!
The eight men walked out of the jail yesterday as the police told the local court that there is no evidence against them. The viral video was shared by BJP MLA Shalabh Mani Tripathi on twitter calling it a “return gift for rioters”. Superintendent of Police (City) Rajesh Kumar reportedly stated, “An inquiry is still underway” as the police ordered an inquiry into the video soon after NDTV broke the story.
In the said video, men can be seen begging and trying to block the blows inflicted upon them by two policemen. As reported by NDTV, the the video was shot two days ago in a police station in Saharanpur, where protests and clashes erupted after Friday prayers over the controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammad by two former BJP spokespersons.
Responding to questions about the video, senior police officer Prashant Kumar told NDTV, “We don’t subscribe to such things. We are investigating. And in case these things are true then we will take action against the erring police officers, We are examining it (the video)… it is a serious thing. We are aware of our responsibility.”
The video maybe viewed here:
“I condemn this whole action”: BJP leader Alok Vats, on viral video of Uttar Pradesh police brutality pic.twitter.com/FDAb16W2R7
— NDTV (@ndtv) July 4, 2022
The men had been picked up on charges of causing violence during the protests that took place in Saharanpur after Nupur Sharma, the now suspended spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made derogatory statements about Prophet Mohammed during a television news debate. However, the CCTV footage submitted by the families of the accused revealed that they were not present at the site of violence on June 10. As a result, the police approached the court and submitted that they have no evidence against them.
Babar Waseem, the lawyer representing the case reportedly said, “Can you imagine that police thrashed these people so badly even when they had no proof against them? The cops have not listened to any of them even when they kept pleading not guilty and not having any role in the violence.”
Shabana Ali, mother of 19-year old Mohd Kaif who was also released by the court reportedly claimed that her son was thrashed by a policeman with a stick inside a police station. She added, “My son received fractures in his hand as a result of it. My son is in trauma and is hardly talking. He spent so many days in jail for something he had never done. They had also arrested my brother-in-law Mohd Furkan and his son Abdul Samad. We have faced so much trauma and social boycott.”
She told the Indian Express, “After offering prayers at a local mosque, my son went to his sister’s house at Nadeem colony, which is far from the spot where the violence took place. To prove my claim, I submitted footage of CCTV cameras installed at places where Ali was present when the protests took place. The CCTV footage was collected from the houses of residents of the area. My son got released from jail this morning.”
The police have arrested 85 people in Saharanpur so far, including the eight persons who are now released, and filed three FIRS in connection with the June 10 violence.
On June 10 afternoon, huge protests by Muslims broke out in at least 16 cities of India. This included the national capital Delhi, along with Srinagar, Lucknow, Prayagraj (Allahabad), Sahranpur, Firozabad, Hyderabad, Ranchi, Kolkata-Howrah and Panvel among others. Protesters called for Sharma’s arrest after she made derogatory remarks about Prophet Mohammad and Islam during a Times Now debate on May 26.
While some protests ended peacefully with people dispersing within half an hour of the demonstration, many places in Uttar Pradesh and other states reported conflict between the police and protesters. While some areas reported stray incidents of stone-pelting by the people, other areas said the police resorted to lathi-charge and tear gassing.
Related:
Friday protests: At least 325 arrests in UP alone!
Spontaneous pan-India protests against Nupur Sharma
Indians stand united, don’t allow Hate to prevail over Harmony
Saharanpur: Who were the ‘media men’ whose questions created tension during Friday prayers?
Saharanpur court orders release of eight protesters due to lack of evidence