By Web Desk
Amid the mystery of stone pelting at a Ganesh pandal in the Variavi Bazar in Gujarat’s Surat, the police apprehended and detained 33 Muslim males, including six minors, and a video later released on social media by the police showed the arrested men limping, indicating torture in custody and creating tension in the area on September 8.
The situation worsened when a crowd of 200 to 300 locals gathered near the Lal Gate police station in the neighbouring Saiyedpura area to protest the detention of the minors. The protest soon turned violent, as per the police, with the mob allegedly attacking police officers and causing significant damage to nearby vehicles, The Wire reported.
However, the police have yet to find who created a commotion at the Ganesh pandal by throwing stones, the residents claim that the police have arrested innocent youths, who were later subjected to brutal custodial torture, as though the authorities were found to be creating scapegoats for their political mileage.
The video posted on social media by the Surat City Police appeared to show the detainees struggling to walk after being taken into custody, raising concerns among locals about possible physical abuse while in police custody. The video, which began with an image of a Ganesha idol, depicted the men limping and barefoot, fuelling further anger in the community, The Wire reported.
Local residents voiced concerns that several individuals, including one man who had reportedly been out of Surat on the day of the stone pelting, were detained without proper cause, according to The Wire.
This story was originally published in madhyamamonline.com. Read the full story here.
