Meerut SSP Avinash Pandey (R) was transferred to Lucknow state headquarters late Thursday
The alleged Wednesday incident is linked to the police action on July 8 against Dalit protesters demonstrating over what they described as a shoddy investigation into the murder of college student Lalita Gautam, whose body was found on May 15 in a field in Meerut’s Rohta area. “We were first called by the SSP office on phone as our names were in the FIR for the July 8 incident. We were kept in custody for close to 12 hours”, said Jatav
I have swollen legs, and due to incessant thrashing, I cannot hear properly now.
The SSP allegedly abused him after he objected to being named in the case, according to Bhati. “SSP kicked me in the eye multiple times,” Bhati alleged. MEERUT: In a late Thursday night development, Meerut SSP Avinash Pandey was attached to the Lucknow state headquarters with immediate effect, hours after an SP functionary alleged that he was brutally assaulted in police custody. He claimed he was taken to an annexe, where he was allegedly assaulted by the SSP and other police personnel. The protest turned violent after police, led by SSP Pandey, resorted to a baton charge. The controversy escalated after videos purportedly showing the SSP assaulting protesters, including a Dalit lawyer inside a police van, went viral. The incident triggered a political backlash and intensified scrutiny of the police handling of the Lalita Gautam murder case. Mohit Jatav also accompanied Bhati, and he was also assaulted. We were beaten in rounds.
Bhati claimed that he had met Pandey on Wednesday seeking removal of his name from the FIR, saying he was not present at the location of the incident.
In an attempt to defuse the crisis, Senior BJP leaders rushed to Meerut to pacify the Dalit family. CM Yogi Adityanath also met the family when he visited Ghaziabad. The FIR was subsequently diluted, the accused were arrested, and the serious charges were withdrawn, paving the way for the bail of eight individuals. The investigating officer in the case, Saumya Asthana, was also transferred from Kotwali to Kithore circle.