Letter to Chief Minister of Gujarat

Endorsements on the issue of police flogging in Kheda district of Gujarat

Respected Chief Minister of Gujarat

We, the people.

That is who the following statement is in solidarity with the victims of public flogging by police personnel at Village Undhela of Matar Taluka of Kheda District Gujarat.

As you know about 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 at Village Undhela of Matar Taluka of Kheda District Gujarat have been widely reported. Those who were flogged are all belonging to the minority Muslim community, an alleged argument over the location of a garba event in the village spiralled into violence with Muslim residents allegedly objecting to holding the programme near a mosque. An FIR was registered against the alleged Muslim miscreants for the alleged violence. Pursuant to this incident, a day later, videos /images and newspaper reports emerged showing police beating the suspected Muslim attackers by holding them against an electric pole in the village square in full public view. The video clips which have been doing rounds shows the police personnel bringing the arrested persons out of a police van near the event’s venue where the infraction took place earlier. They are 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.

Despite of the atrocity at the behest of the police personnel having been widely reported, no action has been taken/initiated till date (only inquiry committee of Ahmedabad I.G is ordered) after the legal notice by Mujahid Nafees Convener Minority coordination committee, this is completely violation of all rights of those flogged by those who are responsible for the maintaining law and order.

There is a full-fledged videography clearly showing the perpetrators in action and yet most unfortunately your good offices have failed to act upon it despite of more than 6 days having passed since the same came to fore. Such open and brazen violation is not only against the protected right under Article 21 but against the whole constitutional spirit of a civilized society.

It is stated and submitted that the action and the flogging by the police personnel immediately caught attention and shook the conscience of all right thinking citizens of India but its most unfortunate that your good offices giving the incident a communal colour have slept over it in complete abdication of the duties that the law of the land casts upon your good selves.

Not only has the international law and conventions to which our republic is a signatory to, has cast upon all functionaries to take all actions to ensure completely abolition of all torture but the same today finds its well-meaning place even in our laws and judgments of the Hon’ble apex court including the infamous D.K. Basu Judgment which is law under Article 141 of the Constitution of India and the custody jurisprudence thus has evolved substantially to ensure no custodial torture takes place. There is no section in any police manual or Indian penal code that allows police to indiscriminately assault citizens.

We demand that police department should file FIR against Police personals who involved in flogging.

Accused police personals should be suspended and to be arrested.

Victim compensation for the people who are the victim of flogging.

Signatories

Mujahid Nafees