Legal notice to Gujarat authorities over custodial torture during Ganesh Visarjan in Vadodara

By A Representative

The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat has issued a legal notice to top state authorities, including the Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Director General of Police, and Commissioner of Police, Vadodara, regarding alleged custodial torture and public parading of individuals arrested during the Ganesh Visarjan procession in Vadodara’s Panigate area on August 26–27.

According to MCC Convener Mujahid Nafees, the notice seeks immediate disciplinary, punitive, and criminal action against the police officials responsible. The incident, widely reported on August 27, revealed that all those subjected to custodial assault and public parading under the guise of “reconstruction” belonged to the minority Muslim community.

Despite extensive media coverage, MCC stated that no official action has yet been taken. The committee described this as a grave violation of fundamental rights and a dereliction of duty by authorities entrusted with maintaining law and order.

The legal notice emphasizes that the police actions not only violate Article 21 of the Constitution but also constitute contempt of the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in D.K. Basu vs. State of West Bengal (1997), which laid down binding safeguards against custodial torture.

The MCC has demanded that the authorities immediately activate investigation and monitoring mechanisms and initiate proceedings against the erring officials. It has warned that in the event of continued inaction, further legal steps will be pursued.

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