NEW DELHI: In the UP’s Lakhimpur a video of a confrontation between police and villagers has gone viral, drawing sharp criticism of the police’s behavior. Shared on social media platform X, the video shows a police officer hurling abuses at a villager and physically assaulting him.
The officer can be heard saying, “The bastard will raise his hand on the police… of this mother— of this sister—”. The incident has sparked outrage over the police’s use of abusive language and excessive force.
भोस %#$ वाले पुलिस पर हाथ उठाएगा…
इसी माँ की——इसकी बहन की——#लखीमपुर में ख़ाकी वर्दी में “राजा साहब” को ग़ुस्सा आ गया फिर क्या सारे परिवार को घसीट लिया युद्ध में…खुद ही सुन लीजिए किस तरह से पेश आए राजा साहब अपने ज़िले की प्रजा से pic.twitter.com/P8ZlThPDTC— Mamta Tripathi (@MamtaTripathi80) September 14, 2024
This comes on the heels of another controversy in the district involving the death of Akash Raj, a 25-year-old Dalit youth. Akash had been arrested by Phardhan police on September 3 on charges of theft.
His family alleges that he was beaten in custody for three days, and his health deteriorated while in police detention. Despite being transferred to a hospital in Lucknow, Akash died on September 13.
Following his death, Akash’s family protested by placing his body on the Lakhimpur-Gola highway, demanding action against the officers responsible.
खाकी का जलवा….जब….जिसे…जैसे चाहे….कूट दे!#UP के #लखीमपुर का बताया जा रहा #viralvideo pic.twitter.com/GuaHi2tljA
— Himanshu Tripathi (@himansulive) September 14, 2024
Former Samajwadi Party MLA Ramsaran also joined the protest. The family accused the police of brutality and sought the arrest of the officers involved. The protest led to a massive traffic jam on both sides of the highway, but by late evening, authorities were still struggling to clear the blockade.
#लखीमपुर खीरी फरधान थाने सिसावा कला के नाबालिक लड़के को पुलिस द्वारा इतना मारा क्या की इलाज के दोरान #नाबालिक की मौत हो गई प्रभारी व हल्के का दरोगा एवं सिपाहीयों को पद मुक्त करके जेल भेजा जिसकी वज़ह से बच्चे की मौत हुई है@lakhimpurpolice@Uppolice @dgpup @yadavakhilesh @bstvlive pic.twitter.com/JOvG282epu
— ᴍᴏʜɪᴛ ᴩᴀꜱɪ (@mohitpasi8287) September 15, 2024
The police, however, maintain that Akash was only questioned and later released to his family. They claim his health worsened at home, and they are awaiting the post-mortem report to determine the cause of death. The situation highlights the deepening distrust between the villagers and law enforcement.