Mistook you for Muslim as you had beard, says cop after beating a Hindu lawyer

New Delhi, 21 May 2020 [Fik/News Sources]: After a lawyer, Deepak Bundele, was beaten by police personnel on 23 March when he was going to a hospital in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh, he is under pressure by the personnel against filing a police complaint over the incident. In their defence, police officials have said that this was a case of mistaken identity. They beat him as they thought he was a Muslim.

According to the voice recording Bundele shared with an online media outlet, The Wire, voices allegedly belonging to police officials are heard saying that his assault was a mistake on the part of a few officials who thought he was a Muslim because of his beard. Then they go on to say that police generally support the Hindus in a situation of communal riots.

“All those people are ashamed that they did something like this to a Hindu brother without knowing his identity.

“We do not have any enmity against you. Whenever there is a Hindu-Muslim riot, police always supports the Hindus; even Muslims know this. But whatever happened with you was because of ignorance. For that, I have no words,” he said.

The official added, “The man (who assaulted you) is a kattar (staunch) Hindu…In Hindu-Muslim riots whenever a Muslim is arrested, he beats them up brutally, always.”

An FIR [police complaint] against this case has still not been registered, Bundele said. “I was struck by the way the police officials apologised. Even if I was a Muslim, what gives the police the right to assault them without any cause,” he said.

Bundele said he was heading towards a hospital for treatment on 23 May when the coronavirus lockdown was not announced but prohibitory orders under section 144, barring gathering of more than four people in an area, were imposed. But he was stopped by the police midway.

When he asked the police personnel to act under constitutional limits, they abused him and the constitution and beat him with sticks, he told the Wire.