NEW DELHI, India: Police in India’s Gujarat state publicly beat a man accused of beating his partner to death, local media reported on Sunday, after footage of the flogging incident spread online and drew mixed reactions.
Public parading and beatings of suspects by police are not uncommon in India, despite Supreme Court rulings prohibiting such treatment.
Officials said the thrashing was a response to the brutality of the alleged murder. The man, identified by police as Faizal Lakhani, was arrested in Bhavnagar, a town in Gujarat state.
Police took Lakhani on Friday to the scene of the alleged crime to reconstruct the incident. He was beaten at the site, and footage of the battering was shared widely on social media.
Videos show Lakhani’s arms restrained by ropes as a uniformed officer repeatedly struck his legs and buttocks with a bamboo baton. He was also beaten on his feet inside a bus terminal.
🚨25-year-old Faisal alias Khatki, MURDER SUSPECT BEATEN with a MASSIVE STICK by cops in public
▪️HE REPEATEDLY KICKED his PARTNER, Kajalben Baraiya — SHE DIED after SEVERE KIDNEY INJURIES pic.twitter.com/fJjySkbaAD #Bhavnagar #Gujarat #India.
▪️COPS: ‘We beat him to set an…— ⚡️🌎 World News 🌐⚡️ (@ferozwala) September 5, 2026
“We beat him to set an example that crime against women will be taken seriously and nobody else dares to commit such a crime,” police officer DP Unadkat said, according to the Times of India newspaper.
“When we do this, they fear the police,” Unadkat said, The Indian Express reported.
Social media users denounced the police officers’ actions, with several X users saying the man had yet to be found guilty of the crime.
ABSOLUTE LAWLESSNESS. Gujarat Police parading and flogging a man in broad daylight isn't justice—it’s state-sponsored thuggery. 🤬🚨
Who authorized these uniform-clad goons to act like judge, jury, and executioner on the street? If police can publicly beat an accused 107 times,… pic.twitter.com/N7DCwlKP0Q
— DiscussingTrend (@ShubhaMemer) September 6, 2026
Bhavnagar police chief Nitesh Pandey told AFP only: “I have nothing to comment.”
