Gujarat public flogging: Police inquiry into their own brethrens' atrocity 'doesn't inspire'

By A Representative
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Gujarat unit, "strongly" condemning what it called "unconstitutional, illegal acts of certain personnel of the Gujarat Police who publicly flogged persons of a particular community in Undhela Village, Matar Taluka, Kheda District on October 3, 2022", has demanded that "an impartial departmental inquiry be conducted" against those who "perpetrated this dastardly crime."
Insisting on "exemplary disciplinary action" be taken against the police personnel, in a statement, signed by Hemant Shah, Meenakshi Joshi, Michael Martin, Raghavan Rangarajan and Prasad Chacko, the PUCL said, "The persons who were flogged allegedly disrupted the performance of Navaratri Garba, which is an offence which would be investigated and the alleged offenders prosecuted as per law."
However, it said, "the manner in which the police personnel took the law in their hands and flogged the alleged offenders in public is reminiscent of medieval barbarity; such brutality by law enforcement personnel is extremely serious, and indicates an impunity that has been cultivated in the police force."
Welcoming the inquiry ordered by the DGP, Gujarat, the PUCL insisted, "the victims of this atrocity should be provided protection by police personnel from the SRP or other forces that are not from the local police stations", but demanded, "The investigation should be done by a special investigation team reporting to a retired High Court Justice selected and appointed by the Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court."

It further demanded, "The victims of this atrocity should be permitted to choose a public prosecutor of their choice and be provided financial assistance to pursue their case." At the same time, "transparent directives" accessible to all citizens should be issued to police personnel defining such criminal acts on the part of the police, delineating provisions for redressal to the victims of police atrocities.

Despite substantive evidence available in public domain about flogging, no action at all was initiated till the public outrage

In a separate development, Mujahid Nafees, convener, Minorities Coordination Committee (MCC), Gujarat, in two separate legal notices (click here and here) issued to the Gujarat chief secretary, additional chief secretary (home), director general of police Ashish Bhatia, and the superintendent of police (Kheda district), has wondered how could the police be asked to look into "the atrocities committed by their very own brethren."

Issued though senior Gujarat High Court advocate Anandvardhan Yagnik, Nafees said in one of the legal notices, the inquiry "does not inspire any confidence at all", insisting for an unbiased and fair inquiry, a retired judge of the High Court be asked to do the job.
Especially objecting the Ahmedabad Range IG being asked to inquire into the "atrocious incident", Nafees regretted, despite substantive evidence available in public domain about the flogging incident, no action at all was initiated till the public outrage".This, it says, stands a testimony to the fact that the "authoritarian rule and the colonial legacy" has been "institutionalized".
Stating that available full-fledged "videography clearly showed the perpetrators in action", Nafees warned, if the inquiry is not handed over to a retired judge of the High Court of Gujarat, suitable legal action would be initiated against the chief secretary, the additional chief secretary (home), DGP and the SP Kheda district in an "appropriate forum."
He said, not only do the international law and conventions to which India is a signatory to prohibit such torture, but the law under Article 141 substantially ensures no custodial torture takes place. "Yet officers working under your good offices as well as your good selves have completely lost sight of the law", it added.

Comments

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Gig workers’ strike halts platforms, union submits demands to Labour Ministry

By A Representative India’s gig economy witnessed an partial disruption on December 31, 2025, as a large number of delivery workers, app-based service providers, and freelancers across the country participated in a nationwide strike called by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). The strike, which followed days of coordinated protests, shut down major platforms including Zomato , Swiggy , Blinkit , Zepto , Flipkart , and BigBasket in several areas.

Why experts say replacing MGNREGA could undo two decades of rural empowerment

By A Representative A group of scientists, academics, civil society organisations and field practitioners from India and abroad has issued an open letter urging the Union government to reconsider the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and to withdraw the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The letter, dated December 27, 2025, comes days after the VB–G RAM G Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16 and subsequently approved by both Houses of Parliament, formally replacing the two-decade-old employment guarantee law.

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

Reshaping welfare policy? G-RAM-G marks the end of rights-based rural employment

By Ram Puniyani With the Ram Janmabhoomi Rath Yatra, the BJP’s political strength began to grow. From then on, it started projecting itself as a “party with a difference.” Gradually, the party’s electoral success graph kept rising. However, many thinkers and writers did not find this particularly worrying at the time, as they saw little difference between the BJP and the ruling Congress. The BJP’s real face began to emerge when it became the principal party of the NDA led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It first came to power for two brief tenures—13 days and then 13 months—and subsequently governed for nearly six years with Vajpayee as Prime Minister. During this period, many of these writers began to understand that the BJP was indeed a “different kind” of party, as even then the process of undermining democratic values and norms had begun. During the first term of the UPA government, several schemes were implemented that were based on the concept of “rights.” These included the right...

Search This Blog