Ahmedabad, Gujarat – Police personnel in Ahmedabad publicly subjected Faizal, alias Khatki Rafiq Lakhani, to corporal punishment on Saturday, September 5, during the reconstruction of a crime scene where he allegedly fatally assaulted his live-in partner. The incident, captured in a widely circulated video, showed Lakhani tied with ropes, dragged, and repeatedly struck with a baton.
Inspector DP Unadkat from the Neelam Bagh police station defended the controversial action, asserting it was a 'rarest of rare case' necessary to restore public faith in the force. Unadkat stated that the police's reputation had been severely tarnished by a separate viral video depicting Lakhani's violent assault on the victim, Kajal Baraiya, in full public view. He remarked that the public perceived a collapse of law and order, with thugs harming women while police appeared helpless, necessitating a strong message to criminals.
Lakhani and Baraiya had reportedly lived together on a footpath for nearly seven years. The fatal confrontation occurred on Thursday, September 3, after Lakhani, recently released from jail and known to have a history of criminal cases including robbery and other serious offenses, discovered Baraiya's relationship with an acquaintance named Ravi. The initial assault video showed Lakhani kicking the woman on the ground as bystanders did not intervene. Kajal Baraiya later succumbed to her injuries at the government-run Sir T Hospital, leading to Lakhani's arrest for murder on Friday.
Despite the police's justification, flogging remains illegal in India, constituting custodial torture and a violation of fundamental rights enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution. The Gujarat High Court previously initiated a suo motu public interest litigation concerning similar public beatings by police in Surat. An amicus curiae submission in that case highlighted a May 7 circular from the state home department, explicitly restricting such conduct and warning of strict disciplinary action against officers and their seniors. Yet, the practice persists; a May 2026 video showed a cow slaughter accused tied to a police vehicle and beaten, while a 2022 incident involved two Muslim men tied to a pole and similarly punished.
Image for illustration purposes only
📰 Source: Siasat Gulf