AHMEDABAD: Indian police publicly thrashed a man accused of beating his partner to death, local media reported on Sunday, drawing mixed reactions after footage of the flogging spread online. Public parading and beatings of suspects by police are not uncommon in India, despite Supreme Court rulings prohibiting such treatment. Officials said the thrashing was a response to the brutality of the alleged murder. The man, identified by police as Faizal Lakhani, was arrested in Bhavnagar, a town in Gujarat state.
Police took Lakhani on Friday to the scene of the alleged crime to reconstruct the incident. He was beaten at the site, and footage of the battering was shared widely on social media. Videos show Lakhani's arms restrained by ropes as a uniformed officer repeatedly struck his legs and buttocks with a bamboo baton. He was also beaten on his feet inside a bus terminal.
"We beat him to set an example that crime against women will be taken seriously and nobody else dares to commit such a crime," police officer D.P. Unadkat said, according to the Times of India newspaper. "When we do this, they fear the police," Unadkat said, the Indian Express newspaper reported. Officials maintained that strict deterrence is necessary in violent criminal cases.
Some social media users praised the beating while others denounced the police officers' actions, with several X users saying the man had yet to be found guilty of the crime. Human rights activists have repeatedly raised concerns over extrajudicial punishments by law enforcement agencies. Bhavnagar police chief Nitesh Pandey addressed the incident following widespread public debate and promised a thorough review.