Acting on its own initiative over an incident in which three murder suspects were bound to the bonnet of a police vehicle and driven through parts of Pune, the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) has served notices to state government and senior police officials.
Calling the episode “barbaric” and comparing the situation to “jungle raj,” it stated that the recent incident constituted the public shaming of suspects before their guilt was established and seemed to infringe constitutional safeguards.
The MSHRC further stated that the actions of the Pune police commissioner and the deputy commissioner of police merited investigation for alleged negligence in preventing human rights violations, or for abetment through inaction, and directed that a preliminary fact-finding inquiry into the incident be conducted.
In an order issued on August 3 by a full bench led by commission chairperson Justice A.M. Badar, the panel instructed that notices be served to the Maharashtra chief secretary, the director general of police, Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (Zone III) Milind Mohite, and senior inspector Mansingh Patil of the Bharti Vidyapeeth police station.
The commission stated that videos circulating on social media appeared at first glance to depict a "barbaric incident" in which three young suspects, arrested in connection with a murder case, were tied to the bonnet of a police vehicle and paraded along public roads.
The commission noted that the video clip revived a painful recollection of the earlier incident involving Farooq Ahmad Dar, who had been bound to the bonnet of an Army vehicle and driven through multiple villages in Kashmir.
The National Human Rights Commission in New Delhi has directed the state to provide compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the victim, it stated.
The order stated that the Pune police had effectively replicated the incident, apparently with the intention of damaging and defaming the state government’s reputation, while portraying the functioning of the Pune police as akin to a ‘jungle raj’ and demonstrating a blatant disregard for constitutional protections, including the fundamental right to life and dignity guaranteed under Article 21.
The commission noted that if these widely circulated video clips are ultimately verified as accurate, they will undoubtedly bring disrepute to the otherwise well governed state of Maharashtra.
It observed that, based on media reports and video footage, the accused were allegedly compelled to walk on their knees, publicly beaten, and later fastened to the bonnet of a police vehicle, enabling bystanders to assault them while police personnel were present.
Voicing concern over videos allegedly depicting a police officer intimidating children who had assembled to observe the incident, it stated that such behavior could inflict psychological harm and was inconsistent with the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act.
The commission stated that the alleged actions constituted public humiliation of suspects prior to any determination of guilt and appeared to breach constitutional protections, legal safeguards regulating arrests, and Supreme Court directives on the treatment of individuals in custody.
Citing a previous human rights case involving the Pune Police, the commission noted that a comparable incident had been reported earlier this year, and stated that the repetition of such occurrences prima facie calls into question the conduct of senior supervisory officers.
It stated that the actions of the Pune police commissioner and the deputy commissioner of police merited an investigation for alleged negligence in preventing human rights violations, or for facilitating them through inaction.
It further directed that an initial fact-finding investigation be carried out by Datta Karale, special inspector general of police at the MSHRC, assisted by Vijay Kedar, the Registrar, and Viswas Pandhare, the commission’s Superintendent of Police.
On Wednesday, the fact-finding committee visited the Bharti Vidyapeeth police station to examine the incident and take statements. The panel has been instructed to submit its report within a week.