Gujarat minority rights group seeks suspension of Botad police officials for brutal assault on minor

By A Representative 

A human rights group, the Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat,  has written to the Director General of Police (DGP), Gandhinagar, demanding the immediate suspension and criminal action against police personnel of Botad police station for allegedly brutally assaulting a minor boy from the Muslim community.

According to the MCC’s representation, on August 19, 2025, 16-year-old Aryan Makhiyaala, a daily-wage worker from Harankui area of Botad, was picked up by Botad Town Police on suspicion of theft. When Aryan’s grandfather visited the police station, both he and Aryan were allegedly beaten severely by a member of the D-staff police team.

The Committee stated that Aryan was subjected to continuous physical torture for nine days, leaving him critically injured. He was first admitted to Botad Civil Hospital and later shifted to Zydus Hospital in Ahmedabad, where he is currently unconscious and battling for life with serious injuries to his legs, spine, and kidneys. Doctors have reportedly initiated dialysis.

Family members of Aryan, including his grandparents and sister, have publicly accused the police of custodial torture. A video statement from the family has also gone viral on social media.

The MCC pointed out that this is not the first such case in Botad. In 2023, a young Muslim man named Kalu Padharshi was similarly assaulted in police custody and later died during treatment. Three policemen were imprisoned in that case.

The Committee’s letter accused Botad police of violating the DK Basu guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court to prevent custodial torture, and of indulging in “divisive and communal behavior.” It demanded that the guilty police personnel be suspended immediately and booked under an FIR, that CCTV footage from the police station be preserved to prevent tampering of evidence, and that all accused police officials be transferred outside Botad district. It further urged that Aryan’s current medical condition be reviewed by a specialist panel of doctors from Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad.

Convener of MCC, Mujahid Nafees, signed the appeal and expressed hope that justice would be delivered impartially and urgently. Copies of the complaint have also been forwarded to the ADGP (Human Rights) and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).