Meerut: Several protesters from the Dalit community reportedly clashed with the police on Wednesday, July 8, in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, with a video allegedly showing an IPS officer assaulting one of the detainees.
The demonstrators from various Scheduled Caste organisations had gathered to demand justice for 20-year-old Dalit woman, Lalita Gautam, who was allegedly murdered.
Lalita, a BA final-year student, was a resident of TP Nagar in Meerut. She went missing on May 15, and her body was found a day later in a sugarcane field in Rohta. The main accused, Ankush Kumar, was arrested on May 18, while another accused was later arrested for allegedly destroying evidence. Police said the investigation had since revealed the role of additional persons.
Family instigated to protest
Police said the victim’s family had been in regular contact with the authorities and action had been taken on issues raised by them. Despite this, some people allegedly instigated the victim’s family and organised a road blockade outside the collectorate gate, police said.
Amid the protest, one of the demonstrators, Ravi Gautam, alleged that he was assaulted inside a police vehicle by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Avinash Pandey after being detained. He claimed he “attempted suicide” inside the police van after being distressed by the alleged mistreatment.
Videos circulating on social media purportedly show the SSP entering a police vehicle and slapping him, and Gautam attempting suicide. However, it is not clear from the footage who was slapped, nor could the video be independently verified.
In one instance, police officers rush to Gautam, saying, “Kaptaan saab, woh fanda baandh raha hai (Sir, he is making a noose)”
Upon opening the doors of the police van, a visibly distressed Gautam says, “Mere saath badtameezi karenge, tho mein marunga. Tareeke se baath honi chahiye (I will kill myself if you behave wrongly with me)”
Police denied that Ravi Gautam was slapped in the police vehicle. Social media posts linked to the protest sought to spread misinformation, incite people against police and promote caste-based animosity, police said.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav shared the video of SSP Pandey slapping Gautam and criticised the Yogi Adityanath government for allowing the police to use force against protesters.
“In the BJP regime, the police is breaking records of injustice. The assault and lathi charge carried out by the administration on the victim’s family and other people for raising voice for justice is highly condemnable,” he wrote.
Gautam booked in multiple prior cases, including murder, says police
SSP Pandey said persons allegedly involved in blocking the road, instigating people and playing an active role in the protest were identified through analysis of video footage and social media content.
He said the role of Digvijay Singh Bhati, who claims to be the national president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ambedkar faction), and others was being examined and legal action would be taken on the basis of available evidence.
Police also claimed that some of the identified persons have criminal antecedents. It alleged that Bhati faces multiple criminal cases in Amroha and Meerut, while Ravi Gautam has cases, including one related to murder, registered against him in Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar. Police noted that these cases are pending before courts.
Pandey said Ravi Gautam and Bhati were among those present at the protest and were attempting to vitiate the atmosphere. He also alleged that Bhati was the “mastermind” behind the entire episode and claimed that he had been externed from the district but still participated in the protest.
Seven arrested, more than 30 booked
Seven people have been arrested late Wednesday night, and several others have been booked for unlawful assembly and attacking police personnel, among other charges, in connection with a protest.
Six named persons and more than 25 unidentified individuals have been booked for unlawful assembly, blocking traffic, threatening self-immolation and spreading inflammatory content on social media, police said.
The protesters had gathered without permission and blocked a key road. They attempted to force their way into the district magistrate’s office after breaking the main gate and assaulted police and administrative officials despite repeated requests to disperse. Eleven policemen were injured in the incident, they said.
According to police, the nearly six-hour road blockade disrupted traffic and affected commuters. Two ambulances were stuck in traffic before police cleared the route.
(With inputs from PTI)
